In the heat of the moment
by coolalisa
Summary: Hermione and Harry have been fighting for months about Harry's promiscuous lifestyle. Then... Hermione realizes that she wants him herself. Disregards epilogue in DH. OOC Harry. Rated for adult content.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in the wonderful world of Harry Potter.

Chapter One

Hermione Granger thought she knew about love between a man and a woman. She thought that she understood the concept of being in love. She certainly believed that she had been in love, that she had loved with her entire being. However, when her relationship with Ron had ended, she realized that she hadn't been in love. They had come the conclusion that they had a brother-sister kind of love and this had been clear when they had tried taking their relationship to the next level – when they had gone to third base – and both of them had felt equally weirded out. They had talked the entire night and come to a mutual understanding that they were better off as friends. This had been three years ago. Ron had dated started dating Luna Lovegood a year after they had broken up and were now going to get married in a month.

As for Hermione, she had dated, but she had never gone out with any man more than a few times. She didn't feel a spark with any of them and what was the point of dating anyone if you just felt indifferent to the person? This on the other hand, had made it difficult for her to meet anyone new in the recent year – apparently word had spread that she never let anyone get beyond snogging on her couch and this had inadvertently given her the nickname "Ice Queen" – she had been told this on the last date she had had, almost eleven months when she had hexed her date for not listening to her demands to not put his hand down her pants. "You truly are the Ice Queen everyone says you are," the man had spat at her before he left. She hadn't accepted anymore dates after that.

Ron and Hermione had become better friends when they broke up. With the loss of the sexual tension between them and the "oh, does she/he like me, do I tell her/him?" no longer a problem, they had more or less stopped bickering that same day. They had become closer because now they could talk about anything. They had seen each other naked and if they could live through that, they could definitely talk about everything from everyday occurrences to sexual conquests and problems. However, Hermione had not mentioned the real reason for why she had stopped dating – she found it too humiliating to talk about it and if it came out that Ron already knew about her demeaning nickname, her heart would break since that meant that he had kept the information from her.

She and Harry, however, had experienced a bit of a fall out the last couple of years. Hermione had gotten a bit snippy about Harry's personal life and he hadn't taken that too well. As a matter of fact, they had barely spoken in the last year. After Hermione had scolded Harry about being just a tad too promiscuous, Harry had rebuked by saying that she was an uptight goody-toe shoes that just really needed to get laid. This had resulted in them not talking for two whole months and the situation was still tense between them.

When she thought about it, Hermione could understand that Harry wanted the lifestyle he currently had. He had lived a big part of his life with one responsibility after the other and when he finally had gotten rid of Voldemort, all his responsibilities had suddenly disappeared. For the first time in his life, he could finally live without looking over his shoulder, do whatever he wanted to do and just live life on his own terms. Hermione had kindly reminded him about his dream of settling down and start a family. Harry had kindly told her to mind her own business. From there, things had just gotten worse. Ron had, of course, gotten caught in the middle. He had flat out told them that he refused to choose a side, because he was friends with them both, but mainly he just thought they were being ridiculous.

The past couple of months though, there had been another reason for Hermione's dislike of Harry's personal life. After one pub night, when Hermione had suddenly up and left when she had seen Harry dancing quite shamelessly with a voluptuous brunette, Ron had come after her to see what was bothering her. She had told him, quite frustrated, that she didn't know what her problem was.

"Hermione, it's like you're in love with him or something, with the way you're acting," Ron had said, half-joking, half-serious.

"Don't be ridiculous, Ronald," Hermione had snapped at him, her words slightly slurred due to the drinks she had been drinking. "I'm just bad tempered because I haven't had sex in a year."

Ron had tilted his head and given her a weird look.

"Hermione... You told me a few months ago that you're still a virgin."

Hermione had flinched at that and then informed him that whenever she rambled when she pissed that he was to stop her before it got out of hand. Obviously she had just said that because she was joking. Ron had given her a skeptical look, but she just had apparated home, clearly annoyed.

Home was Grimmauld Place. After Harry had rid the world of Voldemort, the trio had stayed at the Nobleand Most Ancient House of Black over the summer, tidying it up and just simply relaxing. In the fall they had gone back to Hogwarts to finish their last year and after graduation they had made a permanent home at Grimmauld Place. Kreacher took care of the cooking and the cleaning and was becoming quite an affectionate little House-elf. Who knew that all he wanted were some kind words and appreciation?

When she had come home and settled into her bed after that pub round, Hermione had carefully thought back on Ron's words about being in love with Harry.. She had always found him immensely handsome and in the last year he had gotten even more appealing due to the huge newfound confidence in himself. Harry had become aware of the effect he had on women and he had started taking advantage of it. Of the situation, of course, not of the women themselves – he always made it painfully clear that if a woman were to follow him home, it would be purely sexual, nothing more. Witches in general seemed to have no problem with this. If they wanted to have sex with an obvious gorgeous and sexy wizard or if they simply wanted to roll around in the sack with the famous Harry Potter, Hermione didn't know. Perhaps it was a mix of the two.

Hermione had fallen asleep, her last thoughts about Harry. In the morning, she had woken with a start and uttered a soft moan as the memories of the dream she had just had came crashing back. _Harry caressing her naked body, Harry kissing his way from her mouth downwards, Harry making her writhe under him in ecstasy, Harry making her scream his name as he moved inside her..._ She had closed her eyes and then let her hand trail down into her knickers, feeling that the fabric was very damp indeed. Her fingers had then settled on the sensitive, little bud which was the only place she knew of to get sexual pleasure, and she had rubbed it gently, not needing much friction to accompany the vivid pictures of her dream. When she came, only a few minutes later, she knew that she had just experienced the most powerful orgasm of her life. She had stayed in her bed afterwards, panting madly, her whole body tingling from the after match of her climax. Then she had put her robe on and gone down to the kitchen, her entire being screaming for a cup of coffee.

She had been shocked to find both Ron and Harry at the kitchen table. Harry never brought girls to Grimmauld Place, he preferred going their homes instead of having them ogling his. Besides, it was easier to come up with an excuse to leave in the morning instead of having them thrown out. But that particular morning, it had only been eight o'clock in the morning. Either Harry's latest conquest had kicked him out super early or Harry had never gone home with the brunette in the first place. The boys had looked up when a floor board creaked under her. She had stayed in the doorway, hesitating, unsure whether she was welcome to join them or not. Ron noticed this.

"Hermione, since when do you hesitate before joining us? Get your ass over here," he had demanded as he poured her a cup of coffee.

Hermione had smiled and tiptoed over to the table. She didn't dare look at Harry, but she could feel that he was watching her.

"Look, I know we haven't been on great terms lately, but when you just left yesterday, I got worried about you," Harry had said quietly, sounding more like the old, caring Harry she missed so.

She met his gaze and another memory from the dream flashed through her mind. _Harry snaking his arm in under her, holding her closer as she arched her back, his thrusts slow but hard, his burning gaze never leaving hers._ Hermione had gasped then and had flown up from the chair, knocking her cup over in the process. Ron and Harry had gotten to their feet as well, their postures ready for anything, their eyes alert. Aurors in training, indeed.

"What, what is it?" Harry had wondered, his eyes searching the kitchen for an intruder.

Ron, on the other hand, had watched Hermione like a hawk. He noticed her flushed cheeks and the way she tried pulling her robs tighter around her body. He saw that her mouth was open and he noticed the heavy heaving of her chest.

"No-nothing," Hermione had manged to get out. "I just remembered that I, uh, have a meeting with my research partner, and that I, uh, need to go get ready."

With that she had fled the room, leaving a puzzled Harry and a suspicious Ron behind. She had sat down on her bed, her forehead resting heavily in her hands. _What is going on with me?_ she asked herself. _First I dream about Harry, then I masturbate to the images of said dream and then I can't even look at him without thinking about those wonderful things he did to me. Merlin, maybe Ron is right. Maybe I have feelings for Harry._ After a little while, there had been a knock on the door and then Ron had entered with a cup of coffee in his hand.

"Here," he had said, holding out the cup to her. "You never had any in the brief time you were downstairs."

Hermione had given him a grateful smile and taken a long sip of the hot beverage.

"So are you going to tell me what just happened down there?" he had asked her when she didn't volunteer any information. "And don't give me any crap about a meeting with your research partner. That might fool Harry, but I know that you only meet up with him on Tuesdays."

She had only given him a weary look and taken another long sip of her coffee. Ron had sighed, sitting down on the bed next to her.

"Hermione, since when can't you look into Harry's eyes without gasping and fleeing from him?" he had wondered and when he had seen the look in her eyes, he knew he was on to something. "Forgive me for saying this so bluntly, Hermione, but you looked turned on. And it seemed to terrify you."

Hermione had put her cup on the nightstand, her hands to shaky to be able to hold on to it. Ron had taken one of them in his own, caressing his thumb gently over her palm.

"I don't think you want to hear about it, Ron," she had said, knowing how much he had hated to stand in Harry's shadow.

"What, about you getting turned on simply by looking at our best friend?" he had scoffed. "Perhaps I need to hear it now, 'cause it's most likely a lot worse in my mind. Seriously, Hermione. I'm not jealous at Harry anymore. I'm at Auror school and I'm together with a beautiful, wonderful girl. Please tell me."

She had told him, with as few words possible, about her dream, what she had done when waking and what really had happened in the kitchen.

"I'm just confused, Ron. I've never felt anything like this before. I just need sometime to deal with it."

"What are you going to tell Harry?"

"I'm not going to tell him anything. I'm going to leave the house now for a few hours to make him think that I really had a meeting."

Ron had sighed at her words, but had refrained from commenting. It was not his place. He just had to accept that she needed to do this her own way.

This had been almost four months ago. It hadn't taken Hermione long to realize that she fancied Harry, fancied him like she had never fancied a man before. This had made her avoid him whenever they were both home and made her even more snippy when the whole gang was out drinking. And now, Hermione was half-sitting in her bed, looking out one of the enchanted windows and thinking about the disastrous ending to yesterday's outing.

_* Flashback *_

_An angry Harry pulled an equally angry Hermione with him outside so that they could speak to each other without hollering to be heard of the loud music of the club. He let her go the minute they got outside and he gave her a glare._

"_Look, Hermione, you really need to stop telling me what to do and what not to do," Harry barked, sounding absolutely furious. "I'm tired of your snide comments and the way you're always looking down your nose at the way I've chosen to live my life. Back. The fuck. Off."_

_His last words had been said slowly, determinedly. Any normal person would have done as he demanded, but since when was Hermione Granger one to back away from an argument?_

"_Fine. You go live the life you claim you want," Hermione snapped at him, glaring daggers at him. "But as for looking down my nose at you, I'll stop doing that when you stop looking down your nose at me!"_

_Harry started, caught off guard by her comment._

"_Oh, you think I didn't hear you say to your latest little slut how I am the most uptight person you know? That if a man could just shagged me silly, I could get the plank keeping my back so stiff out of my ass?"_

_Harry had the decency to look ashamed, but he didn't do anything to try to argue with her that she was making things up. Hermione's eyes teared up. _

"_I feel like I don't know who the hell you are anymore, Harry. I never thought you to be capable of saying something like that behind my back – to someone you barely know even. Yes, I might question the lifestyle you have chosen, but I tell _you_ how I feel, not everyone else."_

_Harry still didn't say anything. They just stood there, looking at each other. After a while, Hermione started to feel the cold wind affecting her skin. It was an unusually cold May evening and she shivered slightly. Harry noticed and shrugged out of his new Armani jacket (yes, he was a slave to expensive, muggle brands these days). He handed it to Hermione who put it on without a word. _

"_I don't know how we're going to be able to resolve this when you seem so intent on doing all you can you get under my skin," Hermione said, finally breaking their eye contact. "Merlin knows how many times you talk like that behind my back..."_

"_But Hermione, you were the one who started... well, everything." _

"_I expressed concern about you!" Hermione shouted as she stomped her foot. "I saw my best friend change into someone we made fun of at school! I saw you becoming the complete opposite of the man you've always said you wanted to become! You were the one who let it get out of hand when you so kindly informed me that I needed to get laid!" _

"_Well, you do!" Harry shouted back at her, his eyes blazing with fury. "I would do you good to get laid again, 'cause I remember a time when you still knew how to have fun, a time when you weren't so bloody uptight!" _

_Before Hermione could stop herself, she slapped Harry as hard as she could across the cheek. Harry was completely taken by surprise and stumbled into the wall behind him. His hand flew up to to his cheek and he gave Hermione a shocked look. Tears were flowing freely down her own cheeks and she was so sad, hurt and angry at the same time that she barely knew what to do next. _

"_If you are so intent on getting me laid, perhaps you should do the honors yourself. You seem to be screwing everything with breasts, and at least I've got that, eh? Then you can see for yourself what a lousy, worthless piece of shit I am in bed and you'll finally know that my uptightness has nothing to do with me not getting laid."_

_Harry's eyebrows shot up, but before he got a change to say anything, she turned on her heel, and apparated back home. _

_* End flashback *_

Hermione was horrified about what she had said, horrified that she had slapped him. How could she face him now? How could she look at him? She couldn't bare to see the contempt she was so sure she would find in his eyes. At the same moment the thought flitted through her mind, there was a knock on her door. Her heart nearly stopped. Was it...?

"Hermione? It's Ron. Can I come in?"

Hermione didn't know whether to feel relived or disappointed, but she told him to come in. He took one look at her red, swollen eyes and then sighed.

"Oh, Hermione, what the hell happened last night? Have you slept at all?"

Hermione felt her eyes tear up and she shook her head. He sat down beside her and grabbed her hand, but when she promptly burst into tears, he immediately pulled her into his arms.

"I don't know what to do anymore, Ron," she whispered into his neck. "I can't go on fighting with Harry like this."

She told him what had happened last night, her voice breaking every now and then. Ron kept her in his arms through the entire tale, his palms gently rubbing her back. When she was done, she broke free from his arms and got out of bed to get a handkerchief so she could blow her nose.

"Hermione, you need to talk to him. You need to just come out and say it. You want him. Is that so hard to tell him?"

"Yes! I don't want to be just another one of his many women. I want more than that. I _deserve_ more than that."

Ron nodded his head in agreement.

"You do deserve more, especially if the men you've been dating have told you you're worthless."

Hermione's cheeks reddened a bit.

"What? What are you not telling me?" Ron demanded.

She took a deep breath, seriously contemplating whether or not she should tell him about the whole "Ice Queen" thing.

"Have you heard about someone called Ice Queen?" she asked him slowly.

Ron frowned as he thought about it.

"Yeah, word got out about this witch who just would never let anyone get into her pants. Seamus told me a few weeks ago that he had a friend who had dated the infamous Ice Queen a few weeks about a year ago and then got hexed when he tried to get intimate with her and... Oh, Merlin!"

He broke off as realization suddenly dawned on him.

"_You're_ the Ice Queen?" he wondered, sounding absolutely astounded.

"Well, that's what he said! I didn't know if he was just trying to mend his wounded pride or if he was actually telling the truth. He wouldn't listen to me, so I had to hex him to get off me. It was our second date, I wasn't ready to have him touch me there yet."

Ron shook his head and grabbed her hand again.

"Hermione, you don't need to explain yourself to me," he said gently and gave her a small smile. "Is this why you haven't dated for so long? I mean, even before your crush on Harry...."

"Yes, that's why," Hermione interrupted, suddenly feeling very tired. "I haven't slept at all. Can you get me a Sleeping potion from the cabinet in the bathroom?"

Ron looked like this was the last thing he wanted to do, but he did it nonetheless. It was clear that she was simply exhausted. He gave her the potion and then made his down to the kitchen. Harry was there, his head resting on his left hand and he was staring down into a cup of coffee, gently swirling the liquid around with a spoon. He looked absolutely miserable.

"Mate, I just came from Hermione's room," Ron said as he sat down in front of Harry. "She's been up crying all night. What in Merlin's name happened last night?"

Harry sighed deeply.

"I hardly know," he answered unhappily. "It went from her usual snippy comments to her telling me that she doesn't know who I am anymore. I'm starting to think she's right. The things I said to her yesterday..."

And then Harry told Ron his version of what happened last night. Ron noticed that the two versions were more or less identical.

"How come you didn't put healing cream on the bruise?" Ron wondered when Harry was done.

Harry winced at the reminder.

"I dunno. I feel like I deserve to have it there."

They sat in silence for a moment.

"Ron, I know we've never talked about it before, but you and Hermione... How far did you guys get?"

"We fooled around a lot with out clothes on," Ron answered straight away. "When we got our clothes off for the first time we managed to last ten minutes before we stopped. It was too weird."

Harry looked surprised.

"Oh. I always thought the weirdness came after you had slept together."

Ron slowly shook his head.

"No... We never got that far. Luna is the only one I've ever gotten that far with."

Again, Harry looked surprised.

"But what about all those women you dated before Luna?"

Ron chuckled slightly as he rose from his feet to get himself a cup of tea. Unlike Harry and Hermione, he had never started drinking coffee. He thought the flavor was absolutely revolting.

"Yeah, all five women I dated during the year before I started seeing Luna," he said as he rolled his eyes. "I think I kissed all of them but one, snogged two and fooled around with one of them."

"What happened with the fifth one?"

Ron gave him an annoyed look as he sat back down.

"Oh, you don't remember? We met up with you and the gang at a bar after we had eaten dinner and then you more or less swept in and took over. If memory serves me correctly, you accompanied her home that night."

Harry looked flabbergasted. Ron was sadly not surprised that his best friend had no memory of this event. Suddenly he felt the need to question Harry's way of living out loud.

"Do you even remember her name?" he asked, his tone slightly harsher than he would have wanted.

Harry just looked at him for a moment, then bowed his head in shame.

"You don't, do you? Do you usually not bother to remember their names, since you know you'll never see them again? How many names do you actually remember?"

"Ron.."

Harry's tone was begging. If he wanted Ron to stop flinging out questions or if he was realizing that maybe it just wasn't Hermione that had a problem with his choice of living, Ron couldn't tell.

"Whatever, Harry. You'll never hear me say anything like that again. You live the life you want. But you and Hermione need to sit down and have a serious conversation. I'm getting married in a month and that means I'm moving in with Luna. I won't be here to take care of her when you've done something to make her cry."

With that he left the table, leaving Harry to his thoughts.

HP * HP * HP * HP * HP * HP

Hermione didn't wake from her slumber until much later. She noticed that it was way, way past dinner time and she briefly wondered if there was any point in getting up at all. Her stomach grumbled and she realized that she would never fall back to sleep without eating first. She got out of bed and searched for her robe, but she couldn't find it. Kreacher must have taken it to wash it. Glancing on the delicate, silver watch she had around her wrist, she surmised that she most likely was the only one home. It was Saturday and it was already ten o'clock. She was sure Ron was at Luna's and Harry was out finding another floozy for the evening.

With this in mind, she walked downstairs barefoot, wearing nothing but her favorite pajamas, if you now could call it that. It was a sexy thing, actually, that Ginny had given her for her nineteenth birthday, which the younger woman had seen as an affectionate joke between them. Hermione had started wearing it in bed when her too-big t-shirt had shrunk in the wash (Kreacher had been most upset – if Hermione hadn't stopped him, he would have ironed his fingers).

Her new pajamas, then, consisted of a pink camisole with small white dots and a matching pair of really short shorts that left little for the imagination. The camisole barely covered her navel. It had been slightly too small for her when she had first gotten it, but with the stress from her Advanced Potions class and everything with Harry, she had not taken proper care of herself. She had lost more weight than was probably healthy for her, but her breasts remained the same size – something she had found herself being grateful for, because she didn't think her B-cup sized breasts could afford to get any smaller. In any case, the pajamas fit her quite well now. It was loose and tight in all the right places at the same time.

Once down in the kitchen, she fixed herself a sandwich with a boiled egg and some smoked turkey. She put the plate on the table and then grabbed a bottle of butterbeer from the cabinet. After she had muttered a charm to make the content cold, she reached up to get a glass from the top shelf – she had to get up on the tip of her toes to reach one, and at the same moment her fingers closed around the glass, the silence was broken with–

"Merlin!"

Hermione was so startled that when she twirled around the glass flew from her hand and somehow she managed to knock the bottle over at the same time. She hardly seemed to notice, because in the doorway stood Harry, wearing nothing but a pair of jeans, his hair ruffled and wet. He must have come from the shower. They stood there doing nothing but staring at each other for a long time. Hermione could barely keep her eyes from his chest, still glittering with water drops, while Harry was desperately trying to focus his mind on something besides the image of seeing so much of Hermione's beautiful skin. It was easier said than done, since she was still standing in front of him. What was she wearing? He had never seen her wear anything like this before and it was the first he had ever thought about her as sexy. He saw the heavy rising and falling of her chest, saw how she trembled when she reached back with her hands on the counter to keep steady. Before he knew it, he found himself wondering what it would be like to go over to her and touch her, if her skin was as velvety smooth as it looked from here.

"Hi," Hermione finally said to break the long silence.

Harry swallowed, quite transfixed at the shaky tone of her voice. He clearly wasn't the only one that was affected.

"Hi," Harry breathed back and then tore his eyes from her body to glance around at the mess. "Are you hurt?"

Hermione followed his gaze, seeing the shattered glass and bottle on the floor. There was butterbeer dripping down the counter and the rest of it was in a puddle on the floor.

"No, I'm fine. You startled me."

Harry let out a small chuckle.

"Clearly," he said softly and his eyes landed on her feet. "Hermione, you're barefoot! Don't move, okay? There's glass everywhere."

He started making his way towards her and that's when Hermione saw that he was wearing flip-flops.

"Harry, just repair the glass and the bottle and everything will be fine."

"My wand is in my room," was all he said in reply and the next minute he was close enough to touch her. "Hermione, may I carry you to the other side of the kitchen to get you out of harms way?"

Her breath hitched and he noticed that her eyes were asking why he would want to do such a thing.

"Come on, just let me move you and then I can clean this up before Kreacher comes in and wants to do it himself," he coaxed, knowing that this was the best approach to get her to go along with it.

She gave him a tiny smile.

"Okay then," she whispered, feeling equally afraid as excited.

Harry slowly moved his arms towards her midsection and when Hermione felt his hands gently come around her waist to rest on her back, she had to bite her tongue to keep from moaning. He picked her up so that they came face to face, body to body, Hermione's arms wrapped around his neck, and then he moved her slowly to the other side of the room. They kept their eyes locked with each other's the entire time. Harry didn't want to put her down, but he did nonetheless. With her feet back on the floor, she didn't immediately let him go, because she could feel that he wasn't in a hurry to let her go either.

On the contrary, Harry's hands softly started caressing her back and this time Hermione could do nothing to mask how he was making her feel. Her lips parted and her breathing became slightly labored. This was exactly the reaction Harry had hoped and been waiting for. His hands slid under the silky fabric of the camisole to be able to feel her smooth skin on his fingertips. Hermione let out a surprised gasp. Harry was very pleased to find that her skin was as velvety smooth as it had looked. Hermione's fingers jerked alive, and she slowly traced them down over his naked chest. Harry had so far not betrayed any signs of arousal, but the moment she started exploring his own skin in the same way he was exploring her, his lips parted and he exhaled sharply. He flattened his palms on her back and was just about to lean down and claim her lips when they were interrupted by a loud 'POP' – startled by the very sudden noise in the still silence, Harry and Hermione jumped apart.

To be continued...

AN: Please review! Even if it's just something short, I'd love to hear what you liked and what I should improve.


	2. Chapter 2

_He flattened his palms on her back and was just about to lean down and claim her lips when they were interrupted by a loud 'POP' – startled by the very sudden noise in the still silence, Harry and Hermione jumped apart._

Chapter Two

"Kreacher thought he heard glass breaking," came the House-elf's voice and immediately started searching for evidence.

He located the mess and promptly headed towards it. Harry reached out for Hermione's hand and gently tugged it – he wanted her to follow him out of the kitchen and she did this, her cheeks still slightly flushed. He led her to the library, knowing somehow that she would feel most comfortable there. He had decided to heed Ron's advice about clearing the air with her.

"Hermione, we need to talk," he said quietly as he let go of her and indicated for her to sit down on the couch. "I hate what we've been reduced to."

Hermione nodded slowly, feeling a little disappointed when he sat down on the couch opposite of the one she was sitting in.

"I thought it best for us to sit a bit, uh, apart from each other, after what happened in the kitchen," Harry said, loving the way she cast her eyes down in embarrassment of the reminder.

They sat in silence for a moment, neither of them sure of where to start. Finally, Harry decided to just go with his instincts.

"I'm sorry for yesterday," he started softly, and her eyes tentatively met his. "I don't have an excuse for the things I said, I just... I just wanted you off my case and I suppose that I just wanted to hurt you. It sounds really childish, and I am ashamed to admit it, but I think I just wanted you to feel as hurt as me. I'm really sorry."

Hermione licked her lips as she nodded.

"I'm sorry too," she said and then sighed deeply. "I'm sorry for everything. I have no right to question the way you live. Merlin knows you've had enough people telling you what to do. I just wanted to... remind you of what you have on several occasions claimed that you wanted out of life."

She paused as she tilted her head, looking at the remains of her palm to his cheek.

"And I apologize for hitting you. I don't know what came over me. I can't believe I hit you, Harry. I'm so sorry."

Harry gave her a small smile.

"I know you are, and I'm also aware of that I deserved it. You have to admit that I more or less provoked you into doing it."

Hermione lifted one shoulder in a shrug.

"Perhaps. But I've only ever hit someone once before," – they shared a quick smile as the memory of Hermione's fist connecting to Malfoy's face flitted through their minds – "and I feel that that occasion really called for some physical violence. But you're my best friend. I never should have slapped you."

Now it was Harry's turn to shrug.

"I think it was good that you did. It finally made me realize that I've been harder on you than you have been on me. You started off by kindly reminding me of what I want, one day. Yes, I still want a family, Hermione," he said as he noticed her surprised look. "I want to find the right woman and get married and have kids. But I'm twenty years old and I've already gone through more troubles and anguish than people twice my age. I needed, and still need, some time of... mindless fun, before I settle down and get new responsibilities."

He made a short pause, trying to remember where he actually wanted to go with this.

"I was the one who turned your reminders into some kind of accusations and started saying really mean things to you in return. Anything, really, that would keep you from voicing your concerns out loud. I didn't want to hear them, because maybe somewhere deep down, I knew that you were right. I felt as if you were ashamed of me, but then I realized that you weren't, not until I started hurting you back."

By the end of his speech, Harry was looking down at his hands, anticipating her reply with some dread. He didn't want to hear her confirm the she was ashamed of him. Suddenly the other couch squeaked, as if she was moving on it. Harry looked up and was startled to see that she was closing the gap between them. She sat down next to him and gently wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Oh, Harry, I was never ashamed of you," she whispered and Harry exhaled then, snaking his arms around her waist. "I was just scared that you were going to turn in to a person who didn't want or need me anymore."

Harry gasped and he pulled back from her just enough to be able to look into her eyes.

"Hermione, how could you think that?" he demanded, his voice thick with emotion. "How could you think that there ever would come a time when I wouldn't want you in my life? When I wouldn't _need_ you? You and Ron are my family. I would be lost without either of you!"

Hermione placed her head on his shoulder, her mouth so close to his neck that he could feel her breath.

"I don't want to fight with you anymore, Harry. I can't stand it. Can't we just forget everything bad that has happened between us and start over?"

Harry chuckled softly and kissed the top of head, his grip around her waist tightening a bit.

"I'm afraid we can't just forget, Hermione. But we can still leave it behind us."

"I would like that," came Hermione's soft reply.

A comfortable silence engulfed them and they both seemed to be quiet content with how their differences finally were being solved. After a while, Harry's hand started moving over her back as they had done in the kitchen, and they did this more or less on their own accord. Hermione flinched away from him, suddenly extremely aware of what she was wearing, who was touching her and how she felt about it. Harry held up his hands in front of him in apology.

"I'm sorry, I don't know why I did that," he hurried to say, confused at why she was pulling away from him this time when she hadn't in the kitchen.

She retreated to the other side of the couch, and she drew her legs to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. Harry almost wondered if she was scared... of him?

"I need to clear up some misconceptions you have about me, Harry," she said quietly. "And I can't have you touching me then, I won't be able to concentrate."

Her comment almost made him smile, but when he noticed her serious expression and her sad eyes, the smile died before it had even crossed his face.

"Okay," he said, suddenly worried. "I promise I won't touch you."

Hermione nodded and then took a shuddering breath. She had no idea where to start. So instead, she came with an idea to have him ask her questions rather than her just telling him things.

"Was there anything I said yesterday that caught your attention, at all? About, uh, me?"

Harry tilted his head and and thought back on the previous night. Yes, her final words before she had left had made him feel quite uneasy. _"If you are so intent on getting me laid, perhaps you should do the honors yourself. You seem to be screwing everything with breasts, and at least I've got that, eh? Then you can see for yourself what a lousy, worthless piece of shit I am in bed and you'll finally know that my uptightness has nothing to do with me not getting laid."_ There were several questions he needed to ask about that.

"Why would you say that you're a worthless piece of shit in bed?"

"Because I must be," she whispered, slowly shaking her head. "Either that or there must be something wrong with me. Why else would I hex someone for trying to undress me?"

Harry frowned.

"Maybe because you simply didn't want him to undress you," he offered in explanation.

"But I didn't want any of them to undress me!" she wailed and gave him an anguished look. "The two people who managed to undress me were scared off the next minute. Granted, one of them was Ron, and that was just weird, but the other guy... He took one look at the scars on my body and announced that I looked disgusting. What if they all think that? What if..."

Finally, she broke down in silent tears. Harry didn't hesitate to go back on his promise about not touching her. She needed him, in more ways than he possibly could imagine. He gathered her lithe form into his arms and then pulled her gently, so that she kind of ended up more or less sitting on his lap.

"Hermione, you're beautiful. Don't you dare think anything else. I don't give a damn about what this guy told you. You're beautiful."

"But you haven't seen all of me, Harry," she whispered into his neck. "You haven't seen..."

"I don't care. You're beautiful, Hermione. You're beautiful and sexy and..."

"What?" she interrupted and pulled away so that she could see his eyes. "Did you just say that I'm sexy?"

Harry chuckled softly and his eyes suddenly twinkled.

"Hell yes, you're sexy," he told her. "Don't you realize what happened in the kitchen? Don't you understand the affect you had on me in there?"

Her cheeks reddened at that and suddenly something dawned on him.

"You don't understand, do you?" he asked quietly. "Hermione, you've never had sex, have you?"

Her silence made the answer obvious and it made him feel even more ashamed of himself and the things he had said to her.

"Excuse me if I'm asking something that's too private, but... how far have you gotten with a man?"

She disentangled herself from him and suddenly she looked vulnerable and innocent.

"I... touched Ron for a few minutes... and he touched me during the same time. And that's it."

Harry's eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh. Then you must have thought I was a real prick when I kept saying that you needed to get laid _again_."

"I thought you were a prick in general, Harry," Hermione said with a small smile.

Harry grimaced at that and then gave her a questioning look.

"You said that I should do the honors myself, Hermione... What did you mean by that?"

Hermione blushed crimson and then she hastily got to her feet, her gaze averting away from him.

"I didn't mean anything by it," she said slowly, trying not to make the lie to obvious. "It was just something I said in the heat of the moment."

"I don't believe you," Harry replied quietly, a husky tone coloring his words.

Harry stood up as well, ignoring the flash of annoyance that was now evident in her eyes.

"Well, it was! I just said that because I know that no one else wants to have sex with me and you seem to do any girl, so if you want me to get laid as soon as possible, you should do it yourself!"

He took a step towards her and she immediately took a step back.

"And you would let me do it?" he wondered gently.

Hermione gasped, images from the various dreams of him popping up in her mind.

"No! I mean... I don't know! I haven't thought about it. It was just something I said in..."

"... the heat of the moment, I know," Harry interrupted. "So it's nothing you've been thinking about?"

"I, uh... No!" she gasped out and took several stumbling steps back.

For every step Hermione backed up, he took a step towards her.

"Then way are you trying to get away from me?"

Hermione finally backed into the wall. Harry reached her a second later and placed his hands, on either side of her, on the wall, more or less forcing Hermione to stay where she was.

"I'm not... trying to get away from you," Hermione whispered, her eyes downcast, suddenly feeling quite overwhelmed about having him so close to her again.

Harry just looked at her for a moment. He was both surprised and not surprised about the way she was reacting. She was flustered, obviously, from talking about sex. It was not something she was used to. But she also seemed to be scared. Not of him, but of something. Was she desperately trying to keep something from him? Harry frowned as he thought back on the last couple of months. She had avoided him in general. He had just figured it was because she was tired of fighting with him. Maybe, just maybe, there was a deeper meaning to it. Maybe there was something she didn't want him to know.

"Hermione... Look at me."

He saw her lip tremble and after she had taken a shaky, deep breath, she looked up at him.

"What are you hiding from me?" he whispered, his voice gentle and demanding at the same time. "What is it you can't tell me? I can see that you're scared. I don't think you're afraid of me. I think there's something you don't want me to know. Talk to me."

"I can't!" Hermione wailed quietly. "I can't tell you!"

Harry's right hand left the wall to circle around her waist and noticed how her body tensed, while her eyelids fluttered closed for a moment

"Why not?"

"Because if I tell you, after what happened in the kitchen, you'll know that I won't stop you."

His fingers had started trailing down over her back, softly caressing her smooth skin, but her words caused them to come to a halt.

"You won't stop me from what?"

Hermione whimpered, suddenly afraid of the consequences of what would happen if she didn't stop talking right now. But Harry's fingers started moving again and his gaze was more intense than ever. She knew that she had to tell him.

"From... doing the honors."

The fingers stopped again and Harry pulled back slightly.

"Hermione... Do you want me?"

She nodded slowly.

"I do. I've wanted you since that evening months ago when I just took off without saying goodbye. Remember how weird I was the morning after? When I fled from the kitchen after our eyes met?"

Harry gave her a small smile and nodded.

"I had just had a very vivid dream about you. I woke up and... was so turned on by the things you were doing to me... that I..."

She trailed off, not daring to continue. At the same time, she was surprised at herself for volunteering the information to him in the first place.

"You took care of... yourself?" Harry filled in for her and chuckled huskily when Hermione once again blushed. "No wonder you were so weird, then."

"Yeah... I've wanted you since then. I've been wanting you to do all those wonderful things to in me real life, wanting you to show me what it's all about."

Harry leaned down, his mouth hovering less than an inch above hers.

"But...?" Harry asked, feeling that there was still something she wasn't telling him.

Hermione knew that there were many buts. She wanted him, _but_ she didn't want to become another notch on his headboard. She wanted him to do wonderful things to her, _but _she knew that things could get weird between them. She wanted him to take her right there and now, _but_ she knew that there was a possibility that he would only do it this one time, while she most likely would be thirsty for more.

"But I don't want you to just take me and then drop me the minute later. I deserve more than that," she said so quietly that Harry almost didn't catch it.

He pulled back slightly and forced her chin up gently with his free hand, willing her to look at him.

"I agree, Hermione. And you have to believe me when I say that I could never treat you like that."

Hermione searched his eyes and it seemed as if he really meant that. For a long time they just stood there looking at each other, both of them waiting for the other to initiate the kiss they both longed for. Finally Harry closed the small space between them and the second their lips met Hermione lost her inhibitions – her arms flew up around his neck and the throaty moan that escaped from her mouth made Harry pull her against him, his hands roaming over her back. She opened her mouth a fraction and Harry's tongue dived him, meeting hers in a passionate dance. She instinctively thrust her hips forward and this caused Harry to utter a soft gasp against her lips.

The next moment Hermione pushed him away from her. Harry stumbled in surprise. They stared at each other, both out of breath and rosy cheeked.

"I can't do this, Harry," she whispered, her hands on the wall for support. "Not yet. We've been more or less angry at each other for several months. I need..."

She trailed off, asking herself if this was the right thing to do.

"You need what, Hermione?"

Looking into his eyes, Hermione knew what she needed. There had been a time when she had been able to trust him completely. Maybe she was being irrational, but she needed–

"Time."

Time to get to know him again, time to find a way to talk to him without either of them getting snippy, time to build a new trust. Time to forget everything that had been said. Time to become the best friends they had once been again. She told him all of this, and by the time she was done, his features had softened.

"Okay," was all he said with a small smile.

She smiled back at him, nodding appreciatively.

"Okay then," she said and then took a deep breath before she pushed herself away from the wall.

She wrapped her arms around him and she smiled into his shoulder when she felt his arms coming around her waist. A moment later she pulled back and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek.

"Good night, Harry."

"Good night, Hermione. Pleasant dreams," he said and winked at her.

He was delighted to see her blush before she disappeared out of the library. He sighed heavily as he tried to calm down. He was so hard against his jeans that it was starting to get a bit uncomfortable. He needed to take a new shower and while in there he might as well take care of himself. Who would have thought that Hermione Granger could have made him feel this way?

AN: Please review! =)


	3. Chapter 3

_He was so hard against his jeans that it was starting to get a bit uncomfortable. He needed to take a new shower and while in there he might as well take care of himself. Who would have thought that Hermione Granger could have made him feel this way? _

Chapter Three

The next few days passed with many secret glances at each other combined with small signs of affection. Ron, of course, had noticed right away that something was different between his two friends. They had explained to him that they had had a nice, long chat and decided that they were tired of fighting with each other, tired of the tension that always lay thick around them wherever they went and whatever they said. Ron had been delighted and had whisked them off to the pub for a celebratory drink.

"Here's to fresh starts!" Ron had said joyfully and they had clunked their glasses together, before taking a trip down memory lane and laughing together.

It had now been a week since they had settled their differences. Harry, Hermione, Ron and Luna were all in the kitchen, preparing dinner before they were joined by Ginny, Neville, Seamus, Dean, Lavender and Parvati, their closest friends from Hogwarts. Ron had been the one to invite everyone over for an impromptu dinner at Grimmauld Place, something they had done often after the war to enjoy life's simple pleasures.

When dinner almost was ready, Hermione went upstairs to put on something nicer than the jeans and t-shirt that both fit her so loosely that she should be wearing two sizes smaller. She could transfigure them to fit her better, but she liked them baggy. However, with the three girls that were on their way over in mind, she needed something much more... enticing to wear in order to even feel remotely pretty. She wanted Harry to look at her this evening, not any of the other three that always knew how to dress to get a man's attention.

She had searched through her entire wardrobe before she found something that would show off more skin and cleavage than usual. She held the black dress in front of her, unsure whether it would be appropriate for her to wear this or not – she had never worn it, because she had always thought that it was too short, showed off too much of her back and the neckline... The neckline plunged so deep that everyone would no doubt ogle her. The next second she suddenly made up her mind that this was night she would be brave enough to wear this dress. Luna was wearing a snug, red dress anyway, so she wouldn't be alone. She applied a bit of makeup on her face, magically straightened her hair, put the matching high-heeled shoes on and then made her way back downstairs.

By the sound of it, most of their friends had arrived. The talking and laughing she could hear didn't come from the kitchen, so they must already be in the dining room. She turned around the corner and smiled when she saw that they were all gathered around the table, waiting for her to come join them. Harry noticed her before anyone else did and she knew that she would never forget his reaction. His jaw dropped and his eyes bulged as he took her appearance in. She smiled shyly at him before announcing her presence to the rest of them.

"Hello, everyone!" she said cheerfully. "Sorry that I kept you waiting."

Instantly the entire room grew quiet. Ten pairs of eyes were now staring at her, all of them equally transfixed. Hermione noticed that George was there too – he had probably been feeling lonely and had tagged along with Ginny. After a little while without anyone speaking, Hermione was getting a little anxious. She squirmed and then started making her way over to the only empty seat, the stiletto heals clicking over the floor.

"Hermione... I think I'm speaking for all of us when I say... Wow," Ron finally said and his words were met by nodding and murmurs.

"Well, thank you. It's not too much?" she wondered as she sat down in between Lavender and George.

"No, I think it's great that you're finally wearing the dress I forced you to buy," Ginny said with a big grin. "It looks absolutely amazing on you."

Hermione blushed in delight and then people finally seemed to come to their senses. She took a few moments to appraise the clothes of the other girls, even though they were all sitting down, she could still see their tops. Ginny was a wearing a sleeveless cowl top made out of dark green silk, while Lavender was wearing a baby blue, cotton halter top, a flowery necklace plunging down between her breasts and Parvati was actually wearing a black, leather dress. Hermione briefly wondered how Harry had reacted to seeing the other three girls. They were all showing off more skin and all had bigger chests than she did... She was quite sure that Harry liked big chested girls, because the girls he usually went home with had more or less always been big. Suddenly she felt insecure about herself.

"Hermione? Earth to Hermione," came George's voice and she forced herself to turn her head in his direction. "Hey there. Thanks for reacting at last."

Hermione made an apologetic face.

"Sorry about that," she said and gave him a smile. "My mind drifted off there for a second. It's good to see you, George. How are things?"

George winced for a second and then returned her smile.

"I'm... still adjusting. It's hard being whole when half of you is gone. But the shop's good. I just wish mum would lay off about me finding a girl to marry."

"Yeah, that can't be too much fun," Hermione said as she helped herself to mashed potatoes. "How many times have you asked her to quit it?"

George shrugged a shoulder and then he took the bowl of potatoes from Hermione.

"Too many times," he answered as he filled his plate with potatoes. "It's like she refuses to listen to just that particular thing. I think she worries that if I'm alone much longer, I'll go mad."

Hermione felt a wave of sympathy for George. In many ways, he had lost more than the other Weasley's in the war. The clan had lost a brother and a son, but George had lost his twin, the person he literally had shared everything with.

"I'm sorry," she said and she saw him nod in acknowledgement.

She started eating her steak and potatoes, sipping the wine occasionally.

"So, how's work going?" George wondered after a moment.

"Well, I thought brewing potions for St Mungo's would be challenging," Hermione answered with a small shrug of her shoulders. "Potion making is of course an art form that takes years to perfect, but I thought I would have gotten a lot better at it by now. But I suppose I should work full-time at a research lab then... I am content for the moment, but that might change any day."

George gave her a small smile.

"Well, you can always come help me if you need a change of scenery."

Hermione smiled at that and then they turned to join in with the others. She didn't feel the need to add much to the conversation and every now and then her eyes would drift to Harry, who was sitting at the short end of the table to her right. Every time she looked at him, his eyes would shift and meet hers, as if he knew that she was watching. His eyes sparkled when he looked at her, a small smile always present the moment their eyes met. Once he winked at her and Hermione blushed, quickly averting her eyes before someone would notice how him simply looking at her was making her feel.

"Did you hear about Malfoy?" she suddenly heard Seamus ask out loud to the group.

"Yeah, isn't he getting married?" Parvati piped up as she finished her second glass of wine. "For some reason I can't remember to whom..."

"It is a Greengrass, isn't it?" Ginny said and tapped her index finger against her lip as she thought. "Oh, what is her name..."

"Well, we had Daphne in our year, but I think she's married to some Ravenclaw," Dean supplied.

Everyone turned to look at him in surprise.

"What? I happen to read the society section of the _Prophet_ every now and then," he huffed and rolled his eyes.

Ron and Seamus rolled their eyes at him.

"That's not something you should just admit, mate," Seamus said with a smirk, earning him a slap on his shoulder from his girlfriend, Lavender.

"You dolt, I saw you read that section this morning and that's why you know Malfoy is getting married to Astoria Greengrass," she said.

Seamus cheeks reddened a bit as laughter erupted around the table.

"Astoria, yes, I remember her now," Ginny said. "She was a year under me."

"Slytherin?" Neville asked her, his eyebrow raised in question.

"Of course."

When they all had finished eating, they decided to have drinks in the living room. Hermione stayed behind in the dining room, appearing as if to carry out the dishes to the kitchen, but really waiting for Harry to realize that she was still there. She didn't have to wait long. As she gathered a few plates together, she suddenly felt Harry's arms coming around her from behind.

"If your intent was to torture me tonight, you've succeeded very well," he whispered into her ear, molding his body along with hers as she closed her eyes in delight. "This is the first time I've ever gotten aroused simply by watching a girl."

To emphasize his words, his hands came to rest and on her stomach and then he pressed her towards him, her ass on perfect level with his growing erection thanks to the heels she wearing. Hermione let out a quiet moan and her hands clasped the backrest to support herself. Harry kissed each side of her neck before he let her go and she turned around to face him.

"So... You like?" Hermione wondered with a cheeky grin.

Harry barked out a short laugh.

"Yes, Hermione. I like very much," he said as his eyes roamed over her. "I've never noticed how beautiful legs you have. And can you even walk properly in those heels?"

Hermione giggled as she looked down on the shoes.

"No... But I'm going to do my best."

With that she walked past him and left the room, knowing that he his eyes would travel down to her swaying bum for a moment before he followed her to the living room. Ron had taken out a big bottle of Firewhiskey which had been placed on the table in between the two sofas, along with eleven glasses. Hermione wrinkled her nose. She really hated some alcohol produced by wizards. She went over to the cabinet and pulled out two other bottles, her own favorites, that she had acquired in London. She placed them on the table and then magically moved a chair closer to the table, since the two sofas were full. Ron, Luna, Seamus and Lavender occupied one, while Ginny, Neville, Parvati and Dean had settled down in the other. George was sprawled out on the floor and Harry had mirrored Hermione, sitting down on his chair opposite of her.

"What is 'tequila'?" Neville asked with a frown, pronouncing it as 'tuh-kuh-i-la'.

"It's a type of alcohol, from Mexico. Muggle made. And it's called 'tuh-kee-luh'."

Neville grabbed the bottle and gave it a closer look.

"Cool. I've never tried any kind of muggle alcohol. Is it any good?"

Hermione shrugged a shoulder.

"I think so, but it might take some time for you to get used to it. It has a very special kind of flavor."

"What is this then, Hermione?" Parvati wondered next, pointing at the other bottle, which contained a bright yellow liquid.

"That is Galliano, a liqueur from Italy," she explained and when she saw their confused expression, she continued "A liqueur is usually very sweet, has a specific kind of flavor and is also a lot less strong in its alcohol content. I won't tell you what flavor this is, you should be able to guess."

And without further ado, Luna and Parvati started pouring the yellow liqueur into the whiskey glasses, and Lavender started passing them around. Once everyone had a glass, Harry lifted his in salute and said "To friendship!" and after his words had been echoed, they all took a sip.

"Oooh! Vanilla!" Luna exclaimed before she could stop herself.

Hermione smiled at her and then watched the other's reactions. Most of the boys had wrinkled their noses – Neville looked kind of neutral, Ron and George, both loving sweets of all kinds, seemed to enjoy it, while Harry, Seamus and Dean looked as if it was too sweet for them. The girls all gave signs of approval.

"That is in no way a manly drink," Seamus muttered under his breath, but he downed the liquid and then winced. "Pretty good though. Just _too_ sweet."

"It you're looking for a manly drink, Seamus, let's do tequila shots the muggle way," Hermione said with a smirk, knowing that most people struggled the first time they tried tequila. "Kreacher!"

The house-elf popped in, his eyes betraying his eagerness to help.

"Yes, Miss Hermione?"

"Can you please cut up some lime into wedges and then bring them in here with a salt shaker?" she asked him kindly.

"Of course, Miss!" Kreacher said and popped back out.

Hermione turned back to the others with a mischievous look.

"Who wants to try a real muggle way of drinking?" she wondered and was pleased when all boys agreed instantly.

She wondered if the girls wanted to wait and see how it was done and how the boys reacted. Looking at the glasses, she realized that these glasses were no good. She whipped her wand out and conjured seven double shot glasses and started pouring tequila into them as they waited for Kreacher's return. When a conversation was started, Hermione and Harry shared a secretive smile before their attentions were brought back to the others.

"I'm sorry, Ron, I know that you have a never ending devotion to the Cannon's, but honestly, they haven't won since before you were born!" Ginny said and rolled her eyes when his ears reddened. "The Harpies, on the other hand, are..."

Hermione stopped listening, as Quidditch never would be a topic she would be able to discuss as she didn't know anything about the game, but thankfully the talk was cut short, because the next moment Kreacher was back with lime slices and a salt shaker, which he put on the table before disappearing.

"Okay then," Hermione said as she took a lime wedge with her left hand, holding it between her thumb and index finger. "Take a slice and hold it like this. Then moisten your skin, like this" – she licked the skin between her thumb and index finger slowly, looking at Harry when she did this and was pleased to see his lips part – "and then you poor some salt, just a little, at the same place."

She waited while the boys did this and she told them to pick up their glasses with their right hand.

"Now, we're going to lick the salt off first, down the entire shot and then bite into the lime. Are we ready?" she wondered and when she got affirmative nods, she lifted her glass slightly. "Cheers."

Hermione was of course ready first, being the most experienced tequila drinker. The next moment the boys were coughing and wincing as the girls giggled.

"No. Not for me," Ron mumbled as he put the glass down, the lime still in between his teeth, while Luna patted his knee in comfort. "How can you drink that?"

"I like it, but as I said, it might take some time to get used to," Hermione said with a shrug.

"Well, I like it," Seamus said and then let out another cough. "Definitely something I want to drink again."

Dean and Harry both nodded in agreement.

"Do you always _have_ to do it that way?" Neville wondered.

Hermione shook her head.

"There are many ways of doing it. You can have it over ice, mix it in drinks... And there are other ways of doing shots too. You know, body shots of different kinds."

Suddenly, she had everyone's attention.

"I'm sorry, did you just say _body_ shots?" Seamus demanded, his eyes shining with interest.

And thus Hermione launched herself into telling them detailed descriptions of how this worked. Everyone seemed interested in what she saw saying, especially when she got to the part about placing the lime wedge between someone's lips or, if it was a girl, between the breasts. After a moment, Ginny swiped George's glass and let the final drops of the tequila hit her tongue. Her eyes lit up and then she asked Hermione if she could have a glass.

"Of course, you don't have to ask," Hermione asked. "There's plenty of things to drink in this house. Can I get anyone some wine or a beer or something?"

"You mean butterbeer?" George wondered.

Hermione and Harry shared a look of amusement.

"No, George. Not butterbeer. Harry, do you want to grab a few in the fridge?"

Harry nodded and disappeared off to the kitchen. After everyone had gotten a drink (all boys wanted to try the muggle beer, except Ron, who had already tried it and was not all too fond of it. Instead he poured himself a generous amount of Galliano. Ginny sipped her glass of tequila while the other girls drank wine.) Lavender suggested that they played truth or dare.

"What are we, twelve?" George wondered with a snort, but his eyes were suddenly alert.

"It would fun!" Ginny said, looking at Hermione for help, because she was one that most likely not interested in playing.

Hermione just looked at Ginny's pleading eyes for a moment and then she glanced at Harry, who seemed to want to play just as much as everyone else. She winced slightly. Did she really possess the courage to play this game?

To be continued...

AN: Please review! And I promise you won't have to wait long for the next chapter.


	4. Chapter 4

_Hermione just looked at Ginny's pleading eyes for a moment and then she glanced at Harry, who seemed to want to play just as much as everyone else. She winced slightly. Did she really possess the courage to play this game?_

Chapter Four

"Oh, fine," Hermione sighed and everyone cheered.

Ginny quickly found an empty bottle and gave it to Lavender, saying that she should start as it was her idea.

"Wait, let me cast a truth charm over the room," Parvati said and when she was greeted with surprised looks, she said, "It just let us know whether or not someone is lying. It's possible to lie. We'll just know about it."

After she got the okay, Parvati cast the charm and then nodded to Lavender, who quickly spun the bottle over the table. They watched the bottle spin in silence until it stopped, pointing to... Ron.

"Ron, truth or dare?" Lavender asked.

Ron hesitated a moment and then said "truth."

"How many girls have you shagged?"

The redhead smiled as his fingers entwined with Luna's.

"One," he answered and then leaned forward to spin the bottle.

"Parvati, truth or dare?"

Parvati thought about it for a moment.

"Truth."

"Who did you fancy when we were at school?"

Parvati blushed slightly, knowing there were quite a few.

"Um, Oliver Wood in our first year, then... Malfoy in our second, Harry in third" – her eyes flickered to Harry as she said this – "Cedric in our fourth, Harry in our sixth... And then Dean in our seventh."

She spun the bottle before anyone had a chance to comment, but she didn't miss the look of surprise on Dean's face. Hermione glanced at Harry, wanting to see his reaction to Parvati's answer. He was smirking, looking quite pleased, but when he noticed that she was watching him, he looked at her and gave her a wink.

"Ginny, truth or dare?"

"Truth," she answered without hesitation, knowing that a dare from Parvati could prove to be dangerous.

"How many of the boys present in this room have you shagged?"

Ginny winced and Ron and George groaned, covering their ears.

"Really, Parvati, my brothers are here!" she muttered and then she quietly said, "One."

"Who?" Seamus demanded, but Ginny just shook her head, saying that that was nothing she had to answer now.

Again, Hermione glanced at Harry, who very discreetly shook his head, meaning he was not one of them. Hermione was oddly pleased about that. Before the bottle was spun again, Parvati and Lavender helped themselves to more wine, while the boys started on their second beers. Especially Neville seemed to like this drink. Hermione and Ginny each took a shot of tequila and then they settled down with some wine. The bottle settled on Harry next, who was the first to pick dare.

"Hmm... I dare you to... show us your tattoo."

Harry barked out a laugh as he got to his feet.

"Oh, come on, Ginny, that's much to easy," Parvati said with a pout.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at the girl, thinking that the girl most likely wanted Ginny to dare him to kiss someone... Like Parvati herself.

"No, it isn't. There's a reason we haven't seen it. Isn't there, Harry?"

Harry just smirked in reply and then started unbuttoning his pants. Hermione froze, not sure if she wanted him to continue or not, but when his eyes settled on her, she silently urged him on as her lips parted in anticipation. He slid down his jeans a bit and folded his black boxers down slightly. There, one the left side of his groin, reaching half way back to his bum, was a myriad of symbols: a wand, an owl, a snitch, a black dog and a triangle, all connected by knotgrass, unless Hermione was mistaken. They were all watching him when he started telling them what they all meant.

"The wand is, of course, a symbol of me being a wizard. The owl is Hedwig, my first friend. The snitch symbolizes my love for the game, and the dog" – here he took a deep breath before he continued – "is Sirius and the triangle..."

He paused and gave both Ron and Hermione very specific smiles.

"The triangle represents 'the golden trio'," he said and then he started buttoning his jeans again.

He spun the bottle and it stopped on Hermione..

"Truth," she said before he could even ask.

"Oh, you're no fun," Harry chided.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"We're just getting started, aren't we?"

"I suppose we are," Harry said and then thought for a moment. "Who in this room have you had sexual dreams about?"

Hermione sucked her breath in, her eyes narrowing a bit. Harry just looked pleased with himself. _He thinks he'll be only one I mention_, Hermione realized, _so that his ego gets a chance to grow even more. _She took a big gulp of her wine.

"Well, let's see," she said as her eyes started traveling around the boys seated in the room. "Ron, Dean, George... And you."

Harry looked a bit surprised before his eyes narrowed ever slightly. She gave him a challenging look and smirked, somewhat pleased that she had managed to wound his ego a little.

"You've had a sexual dream about me?" George asked, his voice full of surprise.

"Well actually, it was both you and Fred–"

"Thank you, that's quite enough," Ron interrupted warily. "I'd prefer not hearing about you dreaming that you had a threesome with my brothers."

Hermione just shrugged her shoulder and she and George shared a grin before it was her turn to spin the bottle. She deliberately didn't look at Harry.

"Neville, truth or dare?"

"Truth," Neville answered without hesitation, feeling that he would need more to drink before he would even consider choosing dare.

Hermione thought for a moment.

"If you were gay, which guy in our year would you want to snog?"

Neville's eyes widened a fraction and the boys around the room snickered, glad that they had not been on the receiving end of that question.

"Er, I don't know," Neville murmured as he glanced at the boys in the room, and the seemed to settle on, "Harry."

Hermione rolled her eyes as George slapped Harry on the thigh, Lavender and Parvati giggled while Dean and Seamus catcalled. Harry gave poor Neville a wink who actually blushed.

"Yeah, just boost his already enormous ego," Hermione drawled, shaking her head as she smiled at Neville, urging him to go on.

This time the bottle pointed at Seamus.

"Dare," he said after the obvious question.

"Okay, I dare you to... take one shot of tequila and then a shot of Galliano."

Seamus curled his lip in disgust.

"Ew, really?" he whined and then looked at Hermione, hoping in vain that she wouldn't allow him to drink more of the stuff if he wasn't going to enjoy it.

Hermione shook her head in sympathy and then she poured tequila into a shot glass and Galliano into another. As they watched Seamus down the first shot, many of them finished their own drinks. As Hermione stood to get another glass of wine, she noticed that she was tipsy. This made her smile, knowing very well that it would be good for her to lower her inhibitions a little.

Seamus shuddered after he had emptied the Galliano and then glared at Neville.

"I'll get you back for that one," he growled as he spun the bottle. "Luna, truth or dare?"

"Dare, please," Luna answered dreamily.

"Give Ron a lap dance," Seamus said without hesitation.

Ron's eyes bulged, but Luna seemed unaffected as she got to her feet. Hermione waved her wand to put the Wireless on so Luna would have a rhythm to move to. As Luna started dancing, Hermione thought this would be a good time to go to the bathroom. On her way back she ran into Kreacher.

"Can I help Miss?" the elf wondered after bowing slightly to her.

"Remember that snack I showed you how to make a couple of weeks ago?" she wondered.

Kreacher nodded eagerly.

"Popped corn, Miss?"

Hermione smiled and nodded encouragingly.

"That's the one. Could you please make two batches and bring them into the living room?"

Coming back to living room, she realized that they had gone on to the next person. Dean was in the middle of telling everyone his most embarrassing memory – when Seamus had caught him wanking in their third year.

"We couldn't look at each other for weeks!" Dean finished as everyone roared with laughter.

They were all getting quite inebriated by now and when Kreacher entered with the popcorn, the eleven youths devoured the corn in less than ten minutes. After the popcorn was gone, the questions and dares started becoming more... dangerous.

"Alright, Ginny, kiss the person in here, with your tongue, that you currently feel most attracted to," Parvati said after she had told them that she masturbated at least four times a week.

Ginny immediately turned to her left and pressed her mouth on Neville's, using the young man's surprise to her advantaged, as it granted her entrance into his and when they tongues connected they both uttered quiet moans. And then she pulled away, giving him a shy smile. Neville mainly looked dazed.

"George, truth or dare?" Ginny wondered, realizing that he so far hadn't gotten a question or a dare.

It had been a while since they stopped using the bottle. Instead they just asked whoever they wanted to.

"Dare, of course," George said with a 'duh' kind of tone to his voice. "Do your worst, baby sister and make me proud."

"Fine, I will. I dare you to... snog Parvati."

George smirked and gave the blushing Parvati a questioning look. She just nodded and then he made her way over to her. He pulled her to her feet and then he snaked his arm around her waist, lowering his head to catch her lips in a searing kiss. Parvati emitted some kind of weird noise in the back of her throat before flung her arms around him and pressed her body against his. George stumbled a little in surprise, but since she was so lithe he managed to keep them standing. When they parted they were both breathless.

"Very nice, brother dearest," Ginny snickered while the two sat themselves down again.

George picked Harry next.

"Dare," Harry said before the question had been asked.

"Do a body shot off of Hermione."

Harry looked stunned for a moment and then he turned to Hermione with a wicked grin. Hermione gulped, almost wishing that she hadn't mentioned this particular way of doing shots earlier that evening. But this was Harry... And he was the one she wanted to entice.

"Which type of body shot?" Harry wondered as he poured himself a shot of tequila.

"That's up to Hermione," George answered with a wink at her.

Hermione grabbed a lime wedge and stood up, looking Harry straight in the eye the entire time. She placed the lime between her lips and then she waved him forward with her index finger. As he came closer, she took the lime from her mouth, trailed it down her body and placed it in between her breasts before squeezing them together a little to keep the wedge in place. Harry's jaw dropped slightly and, still on his way over and thinking _to hell with the salt_, downed the tequila without breaking their eye contact and the next moment Harry's teeth sunk into the lime, the juice squirting over her chest. Hermione's knees buckled when she felt Harry nudge the lime down with his tongue and when it dropped to the floor he devoured the sensitive skin between her breasts. If she hadn't placed her hand on Harry's neck, she would have no doubt fallen over when he suddenly bit her gently on each breast before he drew back. His gaze was scorching as it met hers and Harry noticed that her breath was shallow. He gave her a grin and then helped her sit down again before he went back to his own.

"That was... intense," Neville murmured, which made Seamus roll his eyes.

"Intense? It was bloody hot!"

"Couldn't have said it better myself, Seamus," Ginny said quietly and most of them nodded in agreement – Ron was too busy staring at Hermione to pay attention to what they were saying.

Hermione's head was spinning and when she met Ron's inquiring look she only managed to smile. She knew, however, that she would some explaining to do tomorrow. As it was Harry's turn, he chose Neville as the next "victim", who once again chose truth.

"Who would you prefer to catch you in the middle of having sex – your grandmother or Professor McGonagall?"

Neville groaned.

"I'm never choosing 'truth' again," he muttered and then he pondered the question for quite a while. "Oh, I don't know. McGonagall."

Something vibrated through them all at Neville's words. Hermione frowned in confusion and as she looked around she saw most of them looked confused.

"Neville, you're lying!" Parvati exclaimed and the confused expressions turned into looks of comprehension as Neville's cheeks reddened. "You'd rather have your grandmother catch you in the middle of having sex?"

The room erupted in laughter.

"Well, I didn't know I was lying!" Neville spluttered. "They're both terrifying women and I just chose gran because she's family!"

" I suppose your subconscious thinks it'd be worse to get caught by McGonagall," Harry snickered and shook his head in amusement. "It's your turn, Neville."

Neville chose to ask Ron, who chose dare.

"I dare you to change clothes with Luna for the rest of the game."

The room exploded in laughter at Ron's terrified look. Luna dragged him off to another room where they could change and while they were gone everyone helped themselves to more drinks. When the couple came back, Ron was wearing Luna's red dress, and her high-heeled shoes, both of which they had had to transfigure to bigger sizes in order for him to squeeze into them, while Luna was drowning in Ron's jeans and and button down black shirt and his sneakers. Ron was without a doubt very uncomfortable, while Luna seemed to be quite content.

When everyone's laughter had died down, Ron asked the question to Seamus.

"Truth," Seamus said, understanding that after the dares that had just been executed, it might be best to play it safe for a round or two.

"Who do you think is the hottest girl in here tonight?"

Seamus gulped and silently cursed his stupidity. He knew that Lavender wouldn't take too well to the fact that she wasn't the hottest one here tonight. But in his defense, Lavender _always _looked like she was doing now – lots of makeup to enhance her delicate features, hair beautifully done and clothes that showed off more skin than they covered. Hermione, on the other hand... He had never seen her like this before and due to that, he had to admit that she was the hottest one this evening, just this once.

"Seamus, you're silence is saying a lot, you know," Lavender snapped and he returned to his senses. "Since it's obviously not me, who is it?"

"Hermione," he finally said quietly, realizing that it probably would be better to be straightforward about it than being caught laying.

Hermione's eyes widened in surprise, but no one else seemed to have the same reaction. Not even Lavender seemed surprised – she wasn't even glowering at Seamus.

"Oh, Hermione, you look unbelievably good tonight, so don't look so shocked," Ginny said and rolled her eyes.

Hermione's cheeks reddened a bit and she looked down.

"Well, don't get used to it," she muttered and gave Ginny a weary look. "I'll probably go back to my old self tomorrow."

Ginny shrugged her shoulders.

"That's fine. But tonight, just know that you're the hottest girl in the room," she said with a wink at the older witch. "Hey, people, who's ready to try a new game?"

Ginny's new game was something called "I have never" and she briefly explained how to play it. Everyone took turns saying "I have never..." and then added an end to the statement. If people had in fact done this, they had to take a swig of their drinks.

"So, if I say 'I have never kissed a man', everyone who has kissed drinks. Understood?"

When everyone was clear on the rules, Ginny started and she repeated the same statement that she had used in her example. All the girls took a sip and then everyone got a bit of shock when George drank as well.

"What?" he demanded with one eyebrow raised. "You've never experimented?"

"But, who?" Dean wondered, his eyes wide.

"Lee Jordan," George answered with a smirk, "fifth year. He had come to conclusion a few days earlier that he was gay and wanted to try kissing a guy."

After Ginny came Neville, who blurted out "I have never kissed a girl." Here everyone drank , even Hermione who had kissed Ginny once when they had gotten drunk a few months ago, except Dean, who was looking slightly uncomfortable, as everyone in the room noticed that he didn't drink.

"Dean? Is there something you want to tell us?" Ron wondered carefully, simply because the dark boy wouldn't look at any of them.

Dean shook his head forcefully.

"Dean, you might as well tell them. I've always told you that no one will care," Seamus said, earning himself an angry glare from his best friend.

"Fine!" Dean exclaimed and exhaled sharply. "I'm gay, okay?"

And just like that the room was filled with different versions of "Why would you think we would have a problem with that?" Dean looked oddly flushed and content by the time they were done.

"Cool," George said after a moment and gave him a wink. "I'm starting to realize that I'm attracted to both girls and boys, so maybe..."

Dean started and their eyes met.

"So maybe... what?" the younger wizard demanded, but George just smiled at him and didn't say a word.

Parvati decided that it was time to get on with the game.

"I have never gone a whole day without underwear."

Ginny blushed as she took a swig of her wine, while Lavender just shrugged her shoulders as she drank hers. Ron looked as if he didn't want to know anymore about his sister, but didn't say anything.

"I have never had sex in a public area before," Dean said next and then no one looked surprised when Harry drank.

However, when Neville lifted his bottle to drink, there were gasps of shock around the table.

"Neville!" Parvati and Lavender exclaimed at the same time.

"Way to go!" came George's voice.

Dean and Seamus just catcalled, while Ron seemed only dazed. Hermione was surprised simply because Neville always seemed so shy and flustered when it came to sex.

"Alright, my turn," Hermione said as the rest of them quieted down. "I have never... had sex before."

Most of them rolled their eyes as they took a swig. Harry drank some of his beer slowly as he watched Hermione, wondering why she had chosen to utter that statement.

"Hermione, you're not drinking," Ginny said absentmindedly.

Hermione gave her a pointed look.

"Oh!" Ginny gasped as her eyes widened and just like that all eyes were on the Hermione. "You're a virgin?"

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Hermione huffed, crossing her arms over her chest in defense.

"It's not!" Ginny hurried to say, while murmurs of agreement could be heard from the others. "It's just unusual that a woman turning twenty-one in a few months still is a virgin."

Hermione glanced around the room at the other girls.

"How old were all of you when you lost your virginity?" she wondered.

"Seventeen," Ginny answered right away, while Parvati and Lavender said "sixteen" at the same time.

"Ron was my first, so I was eighteen," Luna supplied dreamily as she patted Ron's knee.

Hermione looked miserable. She had always been the odd one out. In the muggle world, in the wizarding world, simply because of her smarts. Now she was the odd one out again. Would it never stop? Would she ever get used to the feeling that there was something wrong with her?

The game continued, but Hermione wasn't really paying attention. When she didn't drink to "I have never fancied a teacher", Ron finally decided to call her name. She looked up, confusion evident on her face.

"You okay?" Ron wondered, his eyes alert.

Hermione gave him a small grateful smile.

"Yeah... I'm just tired. Would it be alright if I went to bed?"

Ron rolled his eyes at her.

"What kind of a question is that? Of course it's alright for you to go to bed."

Hermione got to her feet and one after one her friends got up to hug her. George even gave her a playful smack on her bum, wishing her pleasant dreams. When she came to Harry, he got to his feet and announced that he would see her to her room.

"With the amount of alcohol you've had and those shoes, I'm worried about you getting up the stairs in one piece."

Hermione knew there was more to it than that, but she just smiled and thanked him. As they left the room, Hermione could practically feel Ron's intense stare after them. Yep, she would have lots to explain to the nowadays observant Ron tomorrow. When they had placed some distance in between them and the living room, Harry stopped and pulled Hermione into his arms, just to give her a long hug. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she was grateful for the comfort and that he had even noticed that she was feeling a little off.

"You know that there's nothing wrong with you," Harry whispered into her ear. "There's nothing wrong with saving yourself for the right person."

Hermione sighed and pulled back slightly.

"I know. But I don't think I'm waiting for the right person. I just don't crave it. I don't need to have sex because I don't understand what all the fuss is about anyway."

Harry tired not to laugh, so it came out more as a snort.

"Of course you don't understand or crave it if you've never had it. Once you have sex, I think you'll come to the conclusion that it's better than just taking care of yourself."

Hermione gave him a searching look, as if he was some kind of puzzle for her to solve. Harry just waited, knowing that she would say whatever was on her mind in her own time.

"Harry... I know I said I needed time, but..."

She paused and bit her lip, not sure how to continue.

"But..?" Harry prodded as his fingers started caressing her back, being quite sure what she wanted.

"... can we just forget I said that?" she whispered.

He only looked at her for a moment and then he lowered his head, capturing her lips in a careful kiss. Hermione let out a soft moan and pressed herself against him, deepening the kiss as she opened her mouth to grant him entrance. Her hands tangled into his hair while his own traveled firmly over her back.

"We can't do this here," Hermione suddenly managed to gasp and the next second Harry had picked her up.

She wrapped her legs firmly around his waist and then they slowly made their way upstairs.

To be continued...

AN: Please don't hate me for the cliffhanger. It just felt like a good place to stop.


	5. Chapter 5

AN: This entire chapter is one long 'adult content' scene. You have been warned.

"_We can't do this here," Hermione suddenly managed to get out and the next second Harry had picked her up. She wrapped her legs firmly around his waist and then they slowly made their way upstairs._

Chapter Five

It took three times longer than it should have, since Harry stopped once right before the staircase, placing her back against the wall. He kissed her for a moment, but then he left her mouth in favor of her jawline, then the top of her collarbone and then the bottom of her throat. When he reached the cleavage of her dress, Hermione thought that he would retreat and continue up the stairs, because his mouth disappeared from her skin. But instead she suddenly felt his lips close around her nipple through the fabric of her dress while his hands traveled down to her bum. Hermione let out a wild gasp and in her surprise she managed to dig her fingernails so far into Harry's shoulders that he actually pulled back from her and hissed in discomfort.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, sounding out of breath.

"Don't worry about it," Harry answered, sounding just as out of breath as Hermione.

He then carried her up the stairs and into his room, putting her down gently on his bed. He gave her a smile, his eyes sparkling.

"You're the first girl I've ever had in my bed, Hermione."

Hermione flashed him a grin.

"Should I feel honored?" she wondered cheekily as she scooted up to the top of the bed.

"Hell yeah, you should," Harry answered with a chuckle as he rolled his eyes.

Hermione let out a small laugh and then grew serious again.

"Come here," she said softly and held out her hand, beckoning him to join her.

Harry suddenly looked hesitant. Hermione dropped her hand, frowning slightly as she sensed the shift in his mood.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Harry asked her seriously.

"Did you ask the other girls if they were sure?" she wondered in return.

Harry's eyes darkened slightly.

"You're not one of those other girls. You're Hermione. My best friend. I need to know if you have thought this through. I don't want this to be something you'll regret."

Hermione smiled in spite of herself. He might have turned into some kind of Casanova in the recent years, but when it came to her he cared enough about her to want to make sure that this was something she wanted.

"I'm sure," was all she said and then held out her hand again. "Now get your ass over here, Harry James Potter, before I'm forced to hex you."

Harry seemed satisfied enough with her answer to grin at her before he crawled up to her. When he had reached her ankles he gripped them and then yanked her so that she was lying down, rather than sitting up. She let out a gasp of surprise, but then she giggled. He undid the strap of her shoes, threw them on the floor and then placed a kiss on each ankle before setting down her legs again. He bent down over her, kissing her carefully before he started trailing kisses down her body. Hermione shuddered as she once again felt his lips closing around her peaked nipple, his hand coming up to gently squeeze her other breast. Her hands tangled in his hair, feeling a bit lost at not knowing what to do. He raised her up a bit so that he could get a hold of the zipper and as he pulled it down he felt her shiver.

She suddenly pushed him off her and then got up to slide the dress off. For a moment she just stood there, letting him appraise her body. He was standing on his knees on the bed and he seemed to be a bit in awe. She could barely believe that she was standing more or less naked in front of a man. It was even more unbelievable that that man happened to Harry. She came towards him and his arms wrapped around her as soon as she was close enough for him to grab, but she pushed back from him and started undoing the buttons on his shirt. The next moment the shirt was on the floor. The kiss that followed was heated and soon Harry had managed to pull her back down on the bed. He rolled her on to her back and then he laid down on his side next to her.

He took plenty of time to just let his eyes roam over her upper body, while his hand gently caressed her soft skin. She was absolutely breathtaking. He saw the scars on her body, the scars that were still visible due to the dark curses that had hit her over the years, the scars that were a reminder of her courage and loyalty to him. He never should have allowed her to do any fighting in the war. Then he realized that she would have done everything over again just because she loved him and wanted to be there for him.

"You look sad, Harry," Hermione said, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Are you unhappy with the way I look?"

He shook his head and let his hand cup her breast for a moment before his hand settled on her stomach, where the biggest and ugliest scar was, remembering what she had said about her scars being disgusting.

"You're more beautiful than I could imagine."

Hermione's cheeks reddened in delight and then Harry got to his knees in between her legs. He placed his fingers along the waistband of her red, lacy knickers.

"May I see all of you?"

Hermione swallowed, trying to fight the wave of nervousness that suddenly engulfed her. Instead of answering out loud, she lifted her bum enough so that he could slide the panties off. The next moment she was completely exposed, but for some reason she didn't feel shy. She just waited for him to finish looking at her. Harry was ogling her in surprise. She was clean shaved, except for a little triangle of brownish hair, something he had not expected,

"It's for hygienically purposes," Hermione whispered, correctly guessing his dumbfounded expression. "Obviously there's no man in my life that I would have done this for."

He just nodded stupidly before his eyes met hers. He smiled at her.

"You're so beautiful that I could look at you all night," he said truthfully, his hand coming down to caress her over the triangle.

And then out of nowhere, a serious expression settled over his face.

"Hermione, I'm not gonna take your virginity tonight," he said matter of factly, even though it come out as sweet and gentle.

She looked as if she was about to protest, but he silenced her with a kiss that left her breathless.

"When and if I enter you, it will be when you're sober," he whispered as he trailed kisses down her neck. "But that doesn't mean we can't have some fun tonight."

And before Hermione could being to wonder what 'some fun' might entail, his thumb slowly reached the sensitive bud between her legs. He just flicked her clit twice before his thumb disappeared again. Hermione groaned in disappointment, but half way through said groan her breath suddenly caught. The next second she moan loudly as her eyes fluttered closed. Harry's tongue had found the bud and he was now licking her slowly and thoroughly.

"Oh! Oh, Harry!" she gasped, loving the way he was making her feel.

She had never had a man's mouth on her before and Merlin did it feel good. It was completely different than using a finger, softer and warmer and just... _hotter_. Hermione relished the feelings he was awakening in her. She felt strangely beautiful and sexy and he was making her feel things she had only read about in books. When she thought it couldn't get any better he suddenly moistened one of his fingers before he carefully plunged it inside of her. She gasped and bucked her hips, lifting herself off the mattress – Harry gently pushed her back down to the mattress with his free palm, never stopping his movement or his licking. Hermione felt the familiar tension building up inside her slowly, but steadily. She could almost taste the delicious climax she knew was coming soon.

"Harry, oh, yes," she murmured over and over again, urging him on as one of her hands tangled into his hair.

Her movements were jerky, but Harry ignored the pain as her fingers got caught in a strand of hair, being completely focused on bringing Hermione over the edge. He could tell that she was getting close, because her movements became more spastic and her soft, quite murmurs of pleasure had turned into an incoherent babble. Harry's mouth left her clit for a second, his thumb on his free hand taking over, so that he could look up at her more closely in an attempt to burn the picture of her just like this in to his memory.

"Relax, love, and just let it wash over you," he whispered gently.

His tongue came back on her and that was all it took for her to get over the edge. She screamed his name as she came, her lower back lifting from the bed in ecstasy. This time, Harry did nothing to push her back down. He let her ride out the orgasm in her own way, he tongue still flicking gently over the swollen bud until she calmed down. He came up to rest beside her as she tried to get her breathing back to normal.

"That was..."

Hermione couldn't find an appropriate word to describe what he had just done to her. Amazing, yes. Gloriously delicious, hell yes. Harry seemed to understand what she couldn't put in words, because the next second he kissed her gently and said, "I know." They were quite for a while. Harry flipped on to his back and Hermione crept into his arms.

"I've never felt anything like that before," Hermione said after a moment or two, her breath tickling the flesh on Harry's chest a bit. "It was so... intense. So powerful. Will it be even _more_ powerful and intense when you're inside me?"

"I'm not sure," Harry said truthfully. "I just know that there are other ways for girls to reach climax. Have you heard of the infamous g-spot?"

Hermione blushed slightly and nodded.

"Well, that's supposed to be a very sensitive spot... And if we can manage to locate yours, who knows how powerfully you'll come then."

His tone was teasing and full of anticipation at the same time. Hermione propped up on her elbow and then gave him a searching look. He looked right back, but when she didn't say anything, he frowned.

"What is it?" he wondered as his fingers started moving on her back.

"I, uh... I want to reciprocate," she answered, doing her best not to once again let her cheeks flush. "I want to touch you... I just don't know what to do."

Harry swallowed, or rather, he tried to – his mouth had quite suddenly gone dry. He gave her a small, encouraging smile.

"It's not difficult," he told her. "If you really want to do this, just go with your instincts. Unless you're hurting me, I won't give you any instructions."

The last part was said with a teasing tone, but Hermione was too nervous to acknowledge it. Her fingers were a bit shaky as she started unbuttoning Harry's jeans and she fought the urge to look away as Harry lifted his bum from the mattress to slide the pants off. He was wearing a pair of black, tight boxers from Calvin Klein and through the material she could see a very pronounced bulge. She sucked her breath in – she didn't know much about male genitals, but she could tell that he was bigger than Ron. Her trembling hand came up to cup him – she was experimental and careful in the way she touched him, but she had to be doing something right. Harry's breath was slightly labored and every now and then he would let out a quiet gasp.

After a moment of working up her courage, Hermione got to her knees in between his legs and let her fingers trail a long the waistband of his boxers.

"May I see all of you?" she wondered, repeating his own words from earlier.

Harry gave her a sexy grin and he once again lifted his bum from the bed and then she slowly slid his boxers off. His erect member swung free and she let out a little gasp at the sight of him. He was so big! Harry let her appraise him in the same way he had appraised her, but he was quite sure that he hadn't looked at her with fear in his eyes.

"Hermione? What's wrong?"

She opened her mouth to answer him, but snapped it shut again. Her eyes were firmly glued on his erection.

"Hermione, talk to me."

"You're so big!" she burst out and then she bit her lip in embarrassment as she blushed, while Harry barked out an amused laugh.

"Well, I'm not sorry about that... Most girls like him."

Hermione felt a sting of jealousy flow through her at the mention of other girls and the next moment she felt ridiculous. Focusing back at the task at her, she carefully took a firm grip around Harry's member. He hissed at the contact, but Hermione could tell that is was a good hiss. Her small hand could just reach all the way around him and she started moving her hand up and down.

"Yeah, that's good," Harry murmured in encouragement and she saw his eyes close contentedly.

Hermione kept this going for a while and then she crept upwards, her hand still moving. She captured his lips in a searing kiss, her tongue swirling together with his. She broke off when she needed air and then she softly bit his lower lip before once again letting their tongues connect in an elaborate dance. And then, out of the blue, Hermione summoned all her Gryffindor courage. Her mouth left his and before Harry had a chance to react, he suddenly felt Hermione place a kiss on the head of his erection. He let out a wild gasp in surprise and his hips bucked once before he got over the shock of feeling Hermione Granger's mouth _there._

"You like that, don't you?" Hermione said, her tone teasing.

Harry's eyes flew open and the look in her eyes made his own darken with lust. She was going to make him beg, he could tell. Once she had lost her shyness around him in bed, he was almost one hundred percent sure that she would want to dominate him.

"Yes," he hissed in reply.

"Do you like it when I do this?" she wondered and opened her mouth a little to let him in.

"Yes!" Harry gasped and then groaned the next second when her hot mouth disappeared.

"How about... when I do this?"

She took him in her mouth again and then let her tongue swirl around him.

"Yes, oh Merlin, _yes_!"

He couldn't believe that she was doing this. She had not five minutes ago blushed at his size – now she was taking him into her mouth! Her technique was far from perfect, but seeing as this was the first time she was doing this he was sure she would become excellent with a little practice.

"Tell me what to do, Harry," Hermione breathed as she licked the head, her hand moving slowly up and down in a regular pattern.

"Keep doing what you're doing," Harry panted in reply, "just a little faster."

And that's what Hermione did. She moved her hand faster, trying her hardest to keep the rhythm steady. Her tongue darted out over the head every now and then, each time swirling around him in a circle. Her hand was getting tired, but there was no way she was stopping now, not when Harry was making those sounds.

"I'm close, Hermione," he said in warning so that she could decide if she wanted her mouth anywhere near him then.

As he had expected, she pulled away the next moment, but her hand started moving faster up and down. She locked her eyes with Harry's.

"Come for me, Harry," she whispered, just loud enough for him to hear.

Harry's eyes fluttered shut and then he came with a strained moan. She let him compose himself and then she looked at him in amusement.

"I'm so happy I'm a girl," she said with a smirk as she looked at the mess his climax had made.

Harry smirked right back and then reached for his wand on his nightstand.

"I'm so happy I'm a wizard," he replied before muttering "_scourgify_," to clean himself and Hermione off.

"Thanks," Hermione said with a small smile, still sitting on her knees in between his legs.

Harry merely inclined his head and after putting his wand away, he opened his arms to welcome her in.

Hermione made her way up to lie next to him and then she snuggled into his chest, one arm thrown across his body, while he wrapped both arms around her.

"What do we do now, Harry?" Hermione wondered as she yawned into his chest.

"Now we sleep, Hermione, and wait for morning," Harry murmured and tightened his grip around her as he shifted around to get comfortable.

"Okay then," Hermione murmured back and then lifted her head slightly.

Their eyes met and they shared a smile before Harry leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss.

"Good night," they said together and then within minutes they had drifted off to sleep, closely wrapped together.


	6. Chapter 6

AN: Sorry for the long delay! I have no other excuse than prioritizing hours in the sun instead of being coped up inside on front of my computer. I'll try to be better. 

HP * HP * HP * HP

_Their eyes met and they shared a smile before Harry leaned in and gave her a gentle kiss.  
"Good night," they said together and then within minutes they had drifted off to sleep, closely wrapped together.  
_

Chapter Six

Hermione woke next morning feeling extremely well rested and happy. Sure, there was a dull headache present, but that was nothing compared to how she was feeling. She blinked a few times to get accustomed to the sunlight streaming in through the one window in Harry's room and then briefly wondered what time it was. Only on rare occasions did she sleep longer than eight, and she could tell that the clock should be well beyond eight. She felt the bed shift as Harry moved and she turned her head to see if he was awake - she found herself looking straight into the sparkling, green eyes of her best friend.

"Good morning," they said at the same time, which made Hermione giggle and Harry chuckle.

She moved over on her side so that she could see him without straining her neck. They laid there looking at each other for quite some time, relishing in each others presence. Hermione loved the tussled mess which was Harry's hair and the sleepy expression that clouded his eyes, while Harry was simply amazed by her beauty this morning. Usually when he woke up with a woman her hair was a mess and her makeup more or less all over her face. He surmised that she must sleep on her back basically the whole night without much tossing and turning.

"Did you sleep well?" Harry wondered after a moment, wanting to get some kind opening to the conversation he needed to get a confirmation of his suspicions.

"Very," she answered with a smile. "You?"

Harry just nodded and returned the smile.

"You look very fresh, Hermione. Too fresh. Are you sure you've slept?" he wondered, his tone light and teasing.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Of course I'm sure. I don't move when I sleep, so you would probably think I was dead if you had seen me."

Harry felt a chill go through him when she said that. One of his biggest fears during the war had been the thought of losing his friends and those he considered family. Among those, losing Hermione and Ron had been is main fear. Well, the war was over and the three of them had survived, and Harry had thought that the fear of losing them would vanish. But it hadn't. There were still threats in the world, like renegade Death Eaters that still couldn't accept their masters downfall and death. Harry had come to realize that the fear would always be there, simply because he loved them and couldn't imagine life without them. But when Hermione had mentioned being dead, even though it had been said as just a simple joke, his fears came bubbling up to the surface.

"Harry?"

Hermione's voice had a worried tone and he felt her small hand come close around his wrist. He focused his eyes, the usual feeling of relief coming over him that he had gone through with the eye surgery that relieved him of his glasses, and saw the worried frown on her face.

"Sorry for spacing," he said. "Silly, old fears that just sprang up on me."

Hermione knew at once what he was referring to and she tightened her grip around his wrist.

"I'm sorry," she said and then she closed the gap between them as she nuzzled herself into his chest.

Harry let out a content sigh as his arms circled around her, knowing that she was perfectly safe and that he didn't have to give into his fears at the moment. He would just enjoy this moment with her, which he hoped was the first of many mornings they would wake up next to each other. Her breath was tickling him slightly as she breathed out, but in a pleasant way. Every now and then she planted small kisses on his bare skin, and soon the urge to kiss her was overwhelming.

"Hermione?"

Her face emerged up from his chest.

"Yes?"

He pounced on her, attaching his lips firmly with hers as he molded her to fit with his body perfectly. Hermione was startled enough not no react the first few seconds, but then she relaxed into the kiss, her hand coming up into Harry's hair. He heaved her up on top of him and she shivered slightly as her bare skin was exposed. His fingers trailed along her spine, his kisses becoming more urgent for every passing second. Hermione moaned into his mouth and the sound made him groan. He had always found the sounds women made at times like this a great turn on, but hearing the sounds coming out of Hermione's mouth... It was almost unbearable to keep from taking her right here and now.

"Harry, mate, we've been called... MERLIN!"

Ron's untimely entrance was embarrassing for all of them, but it was worst for Hermione who had jerked away from Harry at the sound of Ron's voice which had resulted in her now showing Ron _everything. _Ron turned on his heel, but stayed in the room, as Harry quickly tossed his quilt over her.

"Sorry about this, but we've gotten an owl from Kingsley," Ron muttered as he waved a letter in the air. "We are to report at noon at his office. He didn't specify why."

Harry glanced at the clock on his nightstand. Eleven twenty-five. _Wonderful._

"Thanks, Ron. I'll be done after I've showered. Can you please tell Kreacher to pack me a couple of sandwiches?"

"Sure," Ron said and then quickly left the bedroom, accidentally banging the door on his way out.

Hermione and Harry looked at the door for a moment and then turned to look at each other.

"You don't think he's.. mad, do you?" Hermione asked in a small voice, her tone filled with worry.

"Not mad, just surprised, I think," he told her and then sighed. "I hate to say this, but I have to go. It's unusual for Aurors in training to meet with the boss. I hope it's nothing serious..."

Hermione could see the anxiety settle on Harry's features. She wrapped an arm around his neck and pulled him down to her lips, doing what she could to calm his nervousness for a brief moment. His arm came around her back and he held her close, so close and tight that Hermione found it unlikely that he wanted to let go anytime soon. She pulled away with a small gasp, loving the way she could sense his arousal in the way he was breathing.

"You have to go," she whispered. "We can continue this... Later."

"Mmm, I like the sound of later," he murmured as he kissed her once, twice... "Are you sure I can't just stay here?"

Hermione pulled away completely and hopped on to the floor. If she hadn't seen Harry's eyes roam over her body with unquenchable hunger, she most likely would have felt his burning gaze on her.

"Sorry. You can't take a shower in bed."

Harry's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Is that your way of telling me I stink?"

Hermione smirked and pointedly didn't answer the question. She turned around to locate her dress and found herself being pulled back down on the bed. Her back was against Harry's chest, she could feel the muscles move as he placed his arms around her.

"Harry," she sighed in exasperation.

He ignored her. Instead he started kissing the side of her neck and soon it became hard for Hermione to think straight. His hands traveled down her body, cupping her breasts and kneading them gently, his mouth still kissing and sucking on the sensitive skin around her neck.

"Harry, there's no time to – oh!"

He had interrupted her by pinching her nipples. The last thing he wanted right now was for her to think rationally. He wanted to make sure that she couldn't think at all for a few minutes, to allow him to do this before he had to go. One hand left her breast and traveled further down. When he reached her stomach she instinctively parted her legs. He smiled into her neck, realizing that she had surrendered to him. He readjusted his legs, putting one on either side of her and pulled her closer so that he could reach her properly.

When his fingers landed on the bud between her legs, she jumped slightly at his touch. The bud was more sensitive than ever and a soft moan escaped her lips before her head lulled back on his shoulder. Harry kept the rhythm steady, guided only by her gasps, moans and the rare occasions when her breath hitched. He was painfully aroused himself, and he sure that she could feel it. She pressed her bum against his erection, causing him to gasp silently. He started working his fingers faster, almost desperately. She threw her arm up around his neck and gasped wildly into his neck, feeling that she was getting close to the delicious orgasm he was building up inside her.

"I'm so close," she whimpered, the pleasure almost too intense, too _good._

His fingers made a last effort to move faster, harder. He ignored his own throbbing pain and focused solely on her, wanting nothing more than to bring her over the edge. He knew exactly when the orgasm hit her, because her entire body tensed for a moment before her bum lifted off the bed as quiet scream of ecstasy escaped her lips. The next second her entire body relaxed, while she still fought to control her breathing. Harry embraced her fully, burying his face into her neck.

"You're so beautiful," he murmured softly, "so amazing. I love seeing you lose control like that."

"And I can't possibly begin to describe how wonderful that felt," Hermione said, still out of breath. "Thank you."

Harry chuckled and then inhaled her scent so that he could remember it the rest of the day.

"Don't thank me, silly. I found much pleasure in satisfying you."

She turned around and kissed him soundly, wishing that there was time for her to take care of his needs as well. It would have to wait until tonight.

"You need to go. You're meeting Kingsley in fifteen minutes."

He sighed and then nodded, getting up from bed. Hermione fought the blush that was rising on her cheeks from seeing him standing there in all his naked glory. He was already softening, and she noticed that he had no problem showing himself like this to her. She wondered how many before her had seen him like this – naked, hair tussled and a look a contentedness in his eyes.

Harry dressed quickly, knowing that he had sacrificed his shower for Hermione's pleasure, and then rushed over to the other side of the bed where Hermione still was sitting on her knees. Her eyes sparkled and her smile was dazzling as he leaned down to kiss her good-bye.

"I'll see you later," he murmured, his lips brushing against her forehead before he stalked out of the room, leaving her to relish the aftermath of her climax in solitude.

Hermione flopped down on her back as soon as the door was closed, closing her eyes as she let out a long, content sigh. Her body was still tingling. She could barely wait to have him back in her arms and she groaned as she realized how long the day would feel, waiting for him to come home.

HP * HP * HP * HP

When Harry came down to the kitchen, there was a cup of coffee waiting for him and a couple of sandwiches in a bag. Ron was sitting by the table, his empty plate and cup telling Harry that his best friend was ready to go. The redhead looked up when the floorboard creaked and for a moment they only looked at each other.

"So... you and Hermione?"

Ron's tone was neutral, neither judgmental nor happy. He just wanted to know what was going on.

"We've been... flirting since we resolved our issues," Harry said before he took a long gulp of coffee. "Nothing happened for real before last night."

He saw Ron's eyes narrow ever so slightly.

"And what happened last night?" he demanded, perhaps sounding harsher than necessary. "She was drunk, you know."

Harry held his arms out in surrender.

"I know, and we didn't have sex if that's what you want to know. We did... other stuff."

Ron's stiff posture relaxed.

"Oh. Okay then," he said as he got to his feet. "Just don't hurt her."

It was said in passing, in a way that implied that the redhead was just reminding Harry that he was not dealing with one his one night stands. But Harry heard the warning and the threat in Ron's words as clearly as if he had shouted "hurt her and you will pay for the consequences!" Their eyes locked and Harry gave him a curt nod in promise. He didn't want to discuss this anymore. Surely Ron had to understand that hurting her would mean hurting himself far more.

"Well, time to floo," Ron said with a grimace, severely disliking this particular form of transportation since he accidentally flooed into the bedroom of Shell Cottage instead of the living room, where Bill and Fleur had been in the middle of pleasuring each other.

The purpose of the meeting with Kingsley was twofold – first of all, he wanted to inform Harry in person that Sirius finally had been officially cleared of all charges against him and there would be a big article about it in the Daily Prophet the next day. Secondly, he told them that the Aurors had gotten information of where the last three Death Eaters still living in freedom – Avery, Dolohov and Macnair – were most likely hiding.

"I want to offer you both the chance to join the party of Aurors that will go after them."

Harry, who was still shaken up a bit after hearing about Sirius, looked up in surprise. Ron's jaw had dropped in shock. It was unheard of that Aurors still in training tagged along on missions unless there was an emergency. Kingsley chuckled a bit at their expressions.

"You're wondering why, of course. Well, it's partly because you are both so close to completing your training, but also because it seems fitting to have you there when the war finally comes to a complete end," Kingsley explained. "You don't have to decide anything at the moment. There's a meeting in two days time, at noon, where we will go through the plan. If you join the meeting, I'll understand it as acceptance."

Harry and Ron nodded in acknowledgment and the next moment they were back home.

"That went quick," they heard Hermione's voice the minute they entered the kitchen.

She was eating a sandwich and reading the Daily Prophet. Ron took a seat opposite of her, while Harry sat down next to her. He immediately pulled her into a hug, finally allowing himself to feel _everything_ he felt about the news of Sirius – the relief that it was over, the pain that Sirius and Remus would never share his joy... He buried his face into her neck and took a shaky breath. Hermione was confused at his obvious need for comfort and shot Ron a questioning glance after she had put her arms around him.

"Sirius has officially been acquitted," Ron answered her unspoken question.

Hermione's eyes widened and tightened her embrace. She couldn't begin to understand how Harry was feeling, but she could imagine. While Harry stayed in her arms, Ron told her about the rest of the meeting with Kingsley.

"Are you planning on going?" she wondered, already feeling worried.

She knew that they would find themselves in plenty of dangerous situations when they were done with their training, but she didn't think that she would have to worry about that for at least a few more months. She wouldn't try to persuade them into not going – she just wanted to know so that she could mentally start preparing the anxiety she would feel when they were gone.

"We don't know yet," Ron answered as he watched Hermione's fingers moving through Harry's hair. "We have two days to decide."

He wanted to ask her about what had happened last night, how she felt about the thing, but seeing her console Harry was pretty telling. She was falling in love with him, even if she didn't know that yet. He could see it in her eyes as she watched Harry, see it in the way she smiled. He sighed, wondering what the future held for his two best friends.

To be continued...

AN: Hope you liked it – please review!


	7. Chapter 7

_He wanted to ask her about what had happened last night, how she felt about the thing, but seeing her console Harry was pretty telling. She was falling in love with him, even if she didn't know that yet. He could see it in her eyes as she watched Harry, see it in the way she smiled. He sighed, wondering what the future held for his two best friends. _

Chapter Seven

A week later, Hermione sat at the kitchen table, a cup of coffee in one hand and the _Daily Prophet_ in the other. She was merely looking at the pages, far too worried to be actually paying attention to what the articles said. Harry and Ron had, of course, both agreed to go along with the Auror party. How could they possibly stay away from a mission that would mean the end of the war? She thought back on Ron's astonishment that Hermione hadn't been asked to come along as well – she had after all been just as important in the destruction of Voldemort as her two best friends – and was for the first time questioning her own reasoning, the one that had seem so logical when she had explained it to Ron.

"_Ron, of course I shouldn't come with you,"_ she had told him, her eyebrows raised in surprise._ "I've barely even thought about dueling or fighting since Voldemort was vanquished. It would take me a lot longer than two days to go back to that way of thinking."_

"_But you were right there with us, Hermione. It'd be weird not to have you with us,"_ Ron had insisted, looking at Harry for any kind of agreement – Harry's expression was strangely neutral, but his body was tensed.

Hermione had simply shrugged her shoulders.

"_Perhaps it will. And I probably would have joined you if it had been a year after Voldemort's destruction... But _three_ years? No... I've been away from it for too long. All I've done since then is study and worked."_

She had seen Harry's shoulders relax as she said that and she had smiled a little. During their school days, that kind of behavior would have infuriated her. Now she just thought it was sweet, because it meant that Harry cared about her and didn't want to see her hurt, not that he thought she wasn't capable of defending herself. And she knew that Harry never would openly tell her to stay home.

Hermione looked up from the newspaper as she heard a floorboard creak and saw Ron enter, looking sharp and focused. She quickly poured him a cup of coffee, placing it on the table at his usual place just as he sat down.

"Thanks," he said and took a long sip. "Any sound from Harry yet?"

Hermione shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know. He didn't want me to sleep in his room last night."

She really tried to keep the hurt out of her voice, but wasn't quite successful. Ron gave her a piercing look, tilting his head as he took in her expression.

"Hermione, are you sure you know what you're doing? With Harry, I mean? You're clearly falling in love with him and..."

"Save it, Ron!" Hermione interrupted, sounding annoyed. "I don't want to hear it. It's none of your concern, how I feel about Harry. Keep your head in what you're up against today."

Ron winced and grabbed a fresh bun that Kreacher most likely had made earlier that morning. Hermione looked back at the _Daily Prophet, _appearing to be reading it, but in reality she was thinking very hard about Ron had been about to say. Yes, she had obviously gone and fallen in love with Harry Potter, and though she knew it was ridiculous after such a short period of time, it just felt right to her. Since they had been friends for so long, and she already loved him as such, going from that love to a deeper love had been easy and out of her control. She had cut Ron of before he got a chance to finish his sentence, because she had a pretty good idea what it was going to be – "… _and you know Harry won't feel like that, at least not yet."_ She grimaced, as the words stung, even though she was just imagining them in her head.

The last week, Harry and Hermione had slept together in the same bed, curled up against each other. A few kisses here and there had been shared... Nothing more had happened. Hermione knew it was because Harry, together with Ron, were working extra hard at Auror school with new exercises that Kingsley threw their way. After training, they would meet with the Auror party and go through the plan, over and over again, checking it for things flaws. By the time they came home, they would eat something quickly before falling into bed, completely exhausted.

"Good morning," Harry's voice suddenly grunted in greeting and Hermione's head snapped up.

Unlike Ron, Harry looked slightly tired. She wondered if his old nightmares had haunted his sleep in anticipation of the mission for today. As she poured him a cup of coffee he sat down next to her and he gave her a small, grateful smile when the cup was pushed towards him. The trio sat in silence, Hermione worried and scared for her friends, while the boys were busy trying to focus and get their heads wrapped around everything they had been told in the previous days. When they finally stood from their chairs, Hermione first flew into Ron's arms and whispered a soft "Be careful." Ron squeezed her swiftly and then stalked out of the room, thinking and hoping that Harry would want a minute alone with her. Hermione wrapped her arms around Harry's neck and he embraced her waist, holding her close as he took her scent in.

"Be careful, Harry," she whispered into his ear and then kissed the side of his neck.

"I will be. Don't sit here and worry all day. Go out and do something. Meet up with Ginny."

He pulled back to be able to see her eyes. He sighed when he saw that all too familiar look. No matter what he told her, she would worry, so it didn't matter if he tried to say anything else. He leaned and kissed her softly and as he pulled away Hermione quickly pulled him back, deepening the kiss, connecting their tongues with a gentle moan. Harry was caught of guard, and he exhaled sharply when the kiss started getting him aroused. They hadn't even had a kiss like this all week, and _now _she initiated a kiss that inevitably would leave him wanting more? He took a step back and then reluctantly pulled himself away from her, giving her a genuine smile.

"I will take care of you when I get back," he promised and was delighted to see her blush.

"I'll hold you too that, Harry Potter," she answered with a smile. "Now go."

With one last look at her, he turned and hurried out of the room to catch up with Ron. Hermione slid down on the chair, her heart racing from both the kiss and from worry. She briefly wondered if she had always been such a worry-wart – most likely not... But she reasoned with herself, convinced that she was worried now because she hadn't had cause to think of dueling and all the other things that had come with the war. She hadn't had a reason to be worried about Ron and Harry since they had been in training for the last two years. She sighed deeply and then forced herself off the chair, thinking that Harry might have actually had a point. It was useless to just sit here all day being worried. She would see if Ginny was free and then if she wasn't, Hermione could always go back to wallowing in self pity and worry, but then she would have at least tried.

HP * HP * HP * HP * HP

"I can't believe you didn't go with them!" Ginny exclaimed for the third time in ten minutes.

Hermione sighed, trying very hard not to fully regret that she asked the younger witch to come over.

"I'm itching for a fight myself, couldn't you have asked them to let me go in your stead?"

"Ginny, for the last time – Kingsley didn't ask me to join the party! Ron was simply questioning why he wasn't, but frankly, I'm happy that I didn't have to make that choice. Now the world doesn't need to know what a coward I'm become."

Ginny's thunderous expression softened a bit as she reached out to grasp Hermione's hand.

"You're not a coward, Hermione. You've just become..."

"... a chicken?" Hermione tried, as Ginny was having trouble finding the right word.

The redhead rolled her eyes and batted her hand away.

"Cautious, is the word I was looking for. And since when do you care about what other people think of you, anyway?"

Hermione winced, not at all knowing how to quite answer that. The truth of the matter was that she didn't give a damn what strangers thought about her. She mainly only cared what Harry thought, but she couldn't very well tell Ginny that. She wanted to get off this topic – as long as they were talking about it, there was plenty of room for Hermione to worry about it.

"I don't," she answered curtly, and then swiftly started asking Ginny about Quidditch.

For twenty long minutes Ginny droned on about the team she played for, the Harpies, and Hermione had quickly realized that this topic was so boring for her that her mind often wandered off to her worries. She couldn't stop Ginny from talking, she didn't want to be that rude after she had instigated the conversation.

"... and that's why coach is looking for a new Beater," Ginny said, her eyes now searching Hermione's face. "Come on, Hermione, you don't want to listen to me talking about Quidditch. You barely enjoy watching the game and you loathe talking about it. What's up?"

Hermione sighed. She had wanted to avoid talking about her worries...

"I'm just worried and wanted something else to think about."

Ginny barked out a laugh.

"And Quidditch was the first thing that came to mind? I might act like a boy sometimes, Hermione, having six brothers and all, but I am capable of talking about other things. First and foremost, I am a girl," Ginny said and winked at the older witch. "And here we are, two girls all alone in a big house – girl time!"

Hermione rolled her eyes, but couldn't help laughing together with her friend. And thus, for the next few hours, the two witches had a spa day. Hermione transfigured the bathtub into a luxurious jacuzzi (Ginny gapped in amazement) and then they stayed in the bubbling, hot water until their skin was shriveled. After a ten minute argument, Hermione let Ginny give her a manicure, and after an additional ten minute argument Hermione agreed to allow Ginny to curl her hair. When lunchtime came, they went down to the kitchen to find Kreacher in the middle of making stew and potatoes. Once they were fed and watered, they went to library and sat down on the couch with a glass of wine each.

"I can't believe you got me to have wine at one 'clock in the afternoon, Ginny," Hermione muttered as she took a small sip.

Ginny merely giggled, rolling her eyes at the same time.

"Oh, lighten up, Hermione! It's just a glass of wine!"

A little bit after three, when one glass of wine for some reason had become four, they heard the sound of someone apparating into the house. Startled, the witches both sprang to their feet and hurried towards the place where the 'pop' had come from.

"Hermione?"

It was Ron. At his frantic tone, Hermione started running towards the kitchen, and all her worries suddenly came crashing back. Something had happened. Something had happened to Harry. Ron met her halfway and when she saw the state he was in, she nearly collapsed on the floor. He was dirty, his clothes where ripped and he looked scared.

"He's going to live, but he's been hurt," Ron hurried to say as she rushed into his arms, tears already forming in her eyes. "He's at St Mungo's."

Only then did he notice his sister, who's eyes were wide with concern for the young man she had come to love as a brother.

"Oh. Er, hi, Gin. Can you do me a favor and not tell mum for about an hour? If she sees him in his current state, she'll throw a fit."

Ginny's lip trembled.

"He's okay?" she asked, her voice full of emotion.

"He will be," Ron said with conviction and then he turned to Hermione. "If it's okay, I'm going to apparate us both. I know exactly where he is in St Mungo's."

Hermione was startled enough stop crying for a moment.

"You can't apparate into St Mungo's," she pointed out, which earned her a smile from Ron.

"Not under normal circumstances, no. But Kingsley had them open the wards for us, as Harry and I technically weren't supposed to be among the party of Aurors. He doesn't want the press to find out and when I insisted that I would go and get you no matter what, this was his solution."

The next moment, Ron grabbed her around her waist and was engulfed by the sensation of Side-Along apparation. Before she knew it, she was standing in the corner of a room where a team of Healers were bustling around. Ron did not let go of his firm grip around Hermione, knowing that if he let her go, she would run straight up to the top of the bed. He felt Hermione struggle to get closer, but Ron held her back.

"How did he get hurt?" Hermione whispered suddenly, desperate for some kind of distraction.

"By being bloody Harry Potter," Ron grumbled in reply, his tone catching Hermione off guard. "He saw that one of the Death Eaters was escaping through a back door, and instead if informing one of Aurors, he took off running after the bloke. He got caught in the crossfire and was hit by a bunch of hexes and curses from both sides. He was reckless and stupid, exactly the two things Kingsley had been very firm about him _not_ being."

Hermione whimpered, knowing exactly that what Harry had done was _so_ Harry. She hoped that this wouldn't compromise his training and future within the Aurors... For the next ten minutes they watched in silence as the Healers worked on their best friend. Then one of the Healers approached them.

"He'll be fine, with a little time. He's mainly bruised and battered – he'll be weak and tired for a few days. He'll need supervision, as he shouldn't move around too much. I would like for him to stay here, but Auror Kingsley has informed me that that is out of the question."

"I'll watch him," Hermione said without hesitation.

The Healer's eye flickered to Ron and then back.

"You are Hermione Granger?" he wondered and at Hermione's curt nod he let out a sigh of relief. "Good, we need someone capable to be able to watch him. If you come with me, I'll give you a list of potions he'll be needing."

Hermione threw a desperate glance at Harry's bed, not at all liking that she had to leave him. Ron gave her nudge.

"He'll still be unconscious when you get back," Ron said, "so go."

Sighing in defeat, she followed the Healer out of the room. Why did Harry Potter have to be _so_ Harry Potter? She had known that something was going to happen, she had felt it in the pit of her stomach. And now, instead of Harry taking care of her, it would have to be the other way around – but nowhere near in the good way she had been longing for.

HP * HP * HP * HP * HP

Later that evening, Harry had been moved to his own bed at Grimmauld Place. He still hadn't woken, but Hermione and Ron had been told that they shouldn't expect him to wake until the morning. He was not unconscious, as Ron had said, but he had been put into a Dreamless Sleep in order for the other potions to allow him to heal. Ginny had stayed at Grimmauld Place, because she knew that if she had gone to the Burrow, Molly Weasley would have known straight off that something had happened.

Hermione climbed into bed with Harry after Ginny had been persuaded to finally go home. She took in his peaceful form, wondering if he was in any pain. Then she sighed, relishing the fact that he was going to be just fine, before she closed her eyes and went to sleep.

The next morning she woke up when Harry shifted in his sleep. She was suddenly very alert, realizing that his movement could mean that he was about to wake up. Going through the list of orders the Healer had given her, a list she had forced herself to memorize, she knew that he was to be fed chicken broth the moment he woke up before he started his potions. She left the room carefully, and as soon as she had closed the door, she called for Kreacher. After asking him to make some broth for Harry, she slunk back beneath the covers and tried to go back to sleep. She didn't have time though – ten minutes later, Harry woke up, looking confused. She gave him a small smile when their eyes met.

"Hermione?" he croaked pitifully. "What happened?"

"You were stupid, but you'll be fine. Excuse me one second – Kreacher!"

Kreacher appeared with the normal 'pop' and had a bowl of steaming broth in his hands, which he gave to Hermione without any delay.

"Kreacher is happy to see that Master Harry has woken," Kreacher said with a small bow before he disappeared back down to the kitchen.

Hermione put the bowl of soup on the nightstand and then helped Harry into a sitting position. Her heart clenched when she saw him wince in pain.

"I need you to eat all of this, before I give you some potions. Any questions you have will have to wait until after I've given you the potions, okay?"

Harry looked like he wanted to protest, but then he just nodded, overlooking the fact that one of those potions was bound to be something that would put him back to sleep. So for the next ten minutes, Hermione fed Harry spoon after spoon of the broth, enjoying to see that the heat of it was bringing some color to his face. When the bowl was empty, she got off the bed and took out three potions that she gave him one at a time. As he ingested the third, she quickly kissed his forehead.

"Good night, Harry."

His eyes widened for a second before he fell asleep. Hermione tugged him down so that he was lying flat on his back again and then she left the room, knowing that he would be sleeping for at least eight hours. In the kitchen she found Ron, looking tired but pleased – he had the Daily Prophet in front of him and he gave her a huge smile when she entered.

"Look!" he exclaimed as he waved the paper in the air. "It's officially over."

Hermione only needed to read the headline to know that he was right: RAID FROM AURORS RESULTS IN THE CAPTURE OF THE LAST FREE DEATH EATHERS! She put the paper down and jumped into Ron's arms while a squeal of delight escaped her lips.

"Has he woken?" Ron wondered as Hermione distangled herself from him.

"He has, but he's already sleeping again. I fed him broth and then gave him the potions that were ordered by the Healer – the last one was a sleeping potion."

Ron just nodded and then he got to his feet with a sigh.

"Wish I could stay and keep you company today, but I have to meet with Kingsley before I go back to regular Auror training."

Hermione smiled and waved him away.

"I'll be fine, Ron. Don't worry about me."

When Harry woke eight hours later, he refused to take any potions before he got some answers. Hermione sighed, not even surprised at his demand. Harry Bloody Potter had to know everything right away – always had.

"If you want specifics, you're going to have to ask Ron. I only heard that you saw one of the Death Eaters trying to escape and went running after him alone. You got caught in the crossfire and landed in St Mungo's. Ron came and got me..." – here she took a deep breath and did her best to block out the dreadful minutes before she knew he was going to be okay – "and now I am going to look after you until you're better."

She sat down next to him on his bed with another bowl of broth in her hands. She didn't voice the question out loud, only conveying it with her eyes, and he nodded in reply.

"What about your job?" Harry wondered in between spoons of broth. "Aren't you going to get in trouble?"

Hermione shrugged her shoulders.

"Maybe," she answered indifferently. "I owled them and said I had a family emergency and wouldn't be able to come in for a few days."

He finished the broth and Hermione went to get his potions.

"I'm sorry," Harry whispered suddenly.

Hermione's head jerked up, meeting his eyes – they were full of guilt and sorrow.

"What for, Harry?"

"For making you worry, for getting you freaked out when I got hurt and for keeping you from your job. I'm sorry."

Hermione gave him a small smile and then raised her hand to gently pat his cheek.

"Just get better, okay?" she said as she planted a soft kiss on his lips, pulling back before she was compelled to deepen it. "Besides, I don't like my job much anyway."

She held out a blue potion for him to take. He eyed it warily, but took it anyway and downed it in one gulp. He winced slightly and then reached for the next one, this time knowing that it would make him fall asleep again.

"Why do I have to sleep so much?" he asked her, holding the vial with two fingers as if it was something he had to be careful with.

"Because it's the easiest way for your body to heal. Now take it – I'll be here when you wake up."

Harry took a deep breath and then turned his gaze to her brown orbs.

"I need you to give me something first," he said, his eyes brightening a bit.

Hermione just raised an eyebrow as she waited for him to continue.

"A kiss."

She barked out a small laugh and then leaned forward, kissing him as softly as she had before. Harry's hand came around her neck, keeping her from pulling back immediately. When his lips parted, Hermione couldn't help mirroring his action and before she knew it, she moaned as their tongues connected. The next moment she forced herself to end the kiss, her lips still close enough to brush against Harry's.

"I miss you," she breathed and then kissed him once, twice...

"I miss you too."

And then Harry let her go. His gaze was scorching as he looked at her. Then, without further delay he drank the Sleeping potion. Hermione took a deep breath, trying to calm her heart – it was pounding so hard that it felt like she had just run a marathon. Not that she knew what that felt like, but she could very well imagine. _How can just a kiss make me feel so alive, like I'm on fire?_ she asked herself as she gently caressed Harry's face. _He has to get better quickly – I want more of him. All of him. And I want Harry to have me. All of me._

AN: Hope you liked it – if you have the time, please review!


	8. Chapter 8

AN: So sorry for the long delay! Just had some trouble, for the first time with this story, to get the events of this chapter down on paper.

_How can just a kiss make me feel so alive, like I'm on fire? she asked herself as she gently caressed Harry's face. He has to get better quickly – I want more of him. All of him. And I want Harry to have me. All of me._

Chapter Eight

While Kingsley had hoped to keep the fact that Harry Potter had injured during an Auror incident from leaking out in the press, he had not been able to. Two days after the raid, the Daily Prophet ran the story that Harry Potter had been seen at St Mungo's and the lack of information about why he had been there in the first place, made the reporter confident that Harry had played a part in the last Auror raid. After Hermione had seen the article in the paper, it had only taken about twenty minutes until the letters had started pouring in – at first she let them lie on the kitchen table, but when the table was full, she had gone upstairs to see if Harry was awake so that she could, first of all tell him that the secret was out and then perhaps read some of the letters.

In the beginning, most of the letters had come from all types of different wizards and witches, simply telling him to get better. Gradually, the letters changed to being from young witches sending pictures of themselves, with or without clothing, throwing themselves at the hero of the wizarding world who was now in need of special care. A few even had the audacity to send him panties with long descriptions of what they wanted to do to him. Harry seem to be amused, wary and frustrated about the letters all in one go, while Hermione felt a strange sense of jealousy and fear – she had no idea what witches would be capable of doing to get their claws on Harry Potter, and by looking at their pictures, she knew it wouldn't take much for one of these girls to snatch Harry away from her.

It took a few days of tender care until Harry was well enough to come downstairs and actually see the amount of letters and packages that had poured in from his admirers – Hermione had only bothered carrying up a couple of handfuls.

"Merlin," Harry breathed in shock, gripping Hermione harder around her shoulders for support.

Hermione led Harry to the nearest chair and then she walked over to the counter to see what Kreacher had fixed them for breakfast this morning. She smiled when she saw the heart shaped waffle cookies, knowing he must have made these especially for Harry. There were also cinnamon buns, pancakes and a whole plate of bacon.

"Hermione, are all the letters the same?" Harry suddenly wondered, sounding very tired.

Hermione turned to gaze at the piles of letters that currently engulfed the entire kitchen table. She shrugged a shoulder.

"I would imagine so," she answered and then turned back towards the counter to take out plates and cups. "I haven't opened them, so I wouldn't know."

"Er, do you think that there is anything... important on this table?"

Hermione turned again and strode up to the table, glancing quickly over the letters to see if anything new had been added to the piles.

"No, I've sorted out those letters," she answered and gave him a small smile.

Harry nodded curtly, brought out his wand and then muttered "_evanesco_", effectively making all letters disappear instantly. Then he smiled at her, looking thoroughly pleased. Hermione beamed at him.

"Perfect, now we have somewhere to eat."

Hermione gave him a stack of pancakes with a side of bacon, and two waffle cookies. She wasn't very hungry herself, so she settled for a bun with some coffee. Harry cut a big piece of pancake and when it landed on this tongue he let out a soft moan.

"Do you have any idea how good this is?" he murmured in between chewing.

Hermione smirked at him as she sipped her coffee.

"Since you've only had potions and broth for four days, I can imagine you feel like that pancake is the best thing you've ever eaten."

Harry just nodded as he continued stuffing the pancakes into his mouth – Hermione just smiled. He reminded her of Ron and she was happy to see that he had such a healthy appetite. It meant he was getting much, much better. Soon she would be able to kiss him and touch him without worrying that he would overtax himself, and...

"Hey, we have a table again!"

Hermione jumped at the sound of Ron's voice, interrupting her thoughts in less than a second.

"Nice to see you out of bed and eating like there's no tomorrow, mate," the read head continued and slapped Harry on the shoulder. "Just don't eat too fast when you haven't had solid food for a few days. I did once after I had been sick with the stomach flu... Urgh, it was not pretty."

Harry lifted an eyebrow in response and immediately started eating a bit slower. Ron nodded in approval and then gave Hermione a smile. She winked at him, and gestured towards the counter.

"Kreacher made pancakes and bacon today," she said and smiled when Ron hurried over to fill a plate of food.

Ron was out of the house fifteen minutes later and by that time, Hermione had taken Harry upstairs for a shower.

"Come on, Hermione, I really think you need to shower as well," Harry said as he undressed with one hand, watching as Hermione took out a towel for him from the linen closet.

"Are you trying to say that you think I smell bad?" Hermione called over her shoulder.

"Of course not," Harry answered as he thrust his boxers off. "I just think it'll be hard for you to get all that soap off if you don't."

Hermione turned around, a confused expression on her face.

"What? What are you talking about?"

The next moment, Harry flipped the bottle of liquid hand soap that had been floating in mid air over Hermione's head – she let out a shriek of surprise as the soap splattered down over her hair, face and body. Harry couldn't help letting out a short laugh.

"HARRY POTTER!" Hermione roared as she rubbed the soap out of her eyes. "HOW DARE YOU?"

"Oh, come on, Hermione, you know you're not really mad at me. Can you blame a guy for wanting to see your beautiful body without clothes on?"

Hermione looked startled for a moment before her cheeks reddened.

"Oh. Is that what you wanted? Why didn't you just say so?"

Harry chuckled and raised an eyebrow.

"Where is the fun in that?" he said with a wink, making Hermione roll her eyes. "Now come over here so that I can take your clothes off. You _obviously _need a shower."

"I could clean this off with magic, you know," Hermione said, but walked over to him nonetheless.

Harry smiled and his eyes sparkled.

"Yes, you could," he replied, as his hands traveled down to the hemline of her shirt. "But you wouldn't. You've missed me."

He looked deeply into her eyes, as he started tugging the shirt upwards and off her. Hermione stared right back – then she brushed her fingers along his growing hardness. He hissed and closed his eyes, but the featherlight touch ended as quickly as it had come. His eyes snapped opened again just in time to see Hermione let her jeans fall to floor and then she unclasped her bra, being deliberately slow.

"I'd say you've missed me too," Hermione said when she saw the look of hunger in his eyes and then discarded her bra on the pile of clothes on the floor.

Harry pulled her into him, molding her body along his. His hands clasped around her bum and then he started kneading her buttocks firmly as his lips met hers in a passionate kiss. Hermione moaned into his mouth, her hands coming up around his neck. Harry lifted her carefully and carried her into the shower. Hermione broke away from him with a small giggle.

"Mind if I take my panties off if we're going to shower?" she wondered and raised an eyebrow.

"Don't mind if do," Harry murmured in reply as his hand traveled down her body.

She hissed when his hand gently cupped her center, his fingers pressing against her sensitive bud for a few moments before he started pulling her panties down. When they were down by her feet, she kicked them off and then Harry closed the door to shower, turning the water on.

"Aaah!" Hermione gasped as the cold stream of water hit her back and she jumped away from it, colliding with Harry.

Harry reached around her and turned the knob to get the water warmer, chuckling slightly at Hermione's undignified shriek. When the water finally became pleasant enough, Hermione stepped into the stream of water and quickly rinsed away the soap on her body. Harry just watched her, his eyes glancing up and down her body as she moved back and forth slightly in order to get all the stuff off of her. It had been so long that he had gotten release, so his throbbing hardness was almost painful now. Not being able to stand it anymore, he pulled Hermione into him, kissing her roughly as he pinned her to the wall. She gasped in surprise, then let out a throaty moan as she felt his fingers rub against her core. Harry's lips traveled down to her jaw, then her neck and he kissed and sucked the skin there, loving the very noticeable hitch in her breathing. He pulled back in order to see her expression as he gave her pleasure. Her eyes were clouded, almost closed, her lips were parted and her breathing was labored.

"You are so beautiful," he said softly and he saw her smile slightly before his lips crashed down on hers again as he increased the speed of his fingers movements.

Hermione reached out and circled her hand around his hardness, gently but firmly starting a pace that matched the speed of Harry's fingers. He leaned his head back and gasped, which was then quickly followed by a lust filled grunt. Instead of claiming her lips again, he leaned his forehead against hers, looking deeply into her brown orbs. Hermione's eyes widened a fraction when she noticed the intense look in his eyes and she found herself being unable to glance away from him.

"Do you have any idea how badly I want to be inside of you right now?" Harry mumbled as he thrust a finger inside of her, causing Hermione to shout out in pleasure.

She moved her hand faster, aware that she now had some trouble keeping the pace steady, but Harry didn't seem to mind – his breathing was heavy and irregular.

"Harry, I'm so close," she whimpered as she felt the delicious tension building up inside of her. "Make me come, Harry."

He let out a growl at her words and worked his fingers faster, with fierce determination. Her hand was still working on him when she came with a long, drawn out sound, a mix of a shout and a moan, and a second later Harry came as well, spilling his seed on her stomach. The first few moments after their release, they simply stayed still, both panting, as they did their best to regain their composure. Finally, Harry gave her a tender kiss before pulling away. They helped each other shower, and they kept enticing each other throughout the process of getting cleaned.

"Can we do something today?" Harry wondered as they dried themselves off. "I'm tired of being stuck in this house. Can we just stroll around Diagon Alley for an hour or so?"

"Fine, but only for an hour," Hermione replied, smiling when she noticed his excitement. "Go get dressed – I'll meet you downstairs in ten minutes."

HP * HP * HP * HP * HP

Hermione really should have known that going to Diagon Alley would be a very, very bad idea after all the attention Harry had gotten in the press the last couple of days. At first, they were left alone, but soon word had spread through all of Diagon Alley and beyond, that Harry Potter was out in the open. When Harry and Hermione were looking in through the windows of Quality Quidditch Supplies, the first witch dared to approach them.

"Excuse me?" came an out of breath, husky little voice.

Harry and Hermione both turned in surprise. A petite witch with blond hair and big, blue eyes stood behind them, her hands clasped over her chest. She seemed to be around their age, maybe a bit younger.

"I heard that you were injured and I would like to offer you my services to get you all better."

Harry's eyebrows shot up in surprise while Hermione's eyes narrowed.

"Er, thanks, but as you can see, I already am all better," Harry said quickly.

"But surely there is something I could do for you?" the witch wondered and took a step closer to him, putting her hands on her hips so that he would get a clear view of her body. "Being coped up in a room for days without any companionship must have been... dull."

Harry seemed quite flustered and Hermione wondered why – he had been dealing with witches like this one for years, either responding in kind or nicely informing them he wasn't interested. Maybe he was still not back up to his old self after his injuries. She decided to help him out a bit.

"Thank you for your kind offer, but Harry has hardly been without companionship the last couple of days," Hermione said sweetly as she put a hand on Harry's shoulder.

The witch let her eyes wander up and down Hermione's body and then let out a little huff.

"Oh, please, like you could offer him the same kind of companionship as I have in mind."

Hermione let out a little gasp of fury and was about to retort when she suddenly heard gasps, shrieks and squeals of delight, mixed with "Harry Potter's here!" coming from all over Diagon Alley – the next moment they were surrounded by witches of all different kinds of ages. Hermione was roughly pushed aside, landing on her bum on the cold, stone ground with a wince. She crawled away, pushing herself through a hoard of legs and feet until the area around her was clear enough for her to stand back up. She was shocked to see that she was about fifty feet from Harry and that witches crowded all around him, doing all they could to gain his attention. Harry himself seemed to be both annoyed and pleased and as she watched him, she realized that he was _not_ noticing that she was not standing next to him anymore. She stayed a few minutes more and then she quickly spun on her heel, hurrying to the nearest apparation point. She was sad, angry and annoyed and at the moment she hated that she had fallen for a guy who was such a womanizer. Was this how it always would be if they ever got into a real relationship?

When she was home again, she went straight to the library and picked up the first book she found; _Fifty ways to identify a dark magical creature – from werewolves and vampires to banshees. _Hermione studied it for a moment, then shrugged her shoulders and sat down, opening the book on a random page.

_Many elaborate rituals are used to identify a vampire. One method of finding a vampire's grave involves leading a virgin boy through a graveyard or church grounds on a virgin stallion – the horse will balk at the grave in question. Generally a black horse is required, though in Albania it should be white. Holes appearing in the earth over a grave is taken as a sign of vampirism._

Hermione snorted out a laugh – a virgin boy through a grave yard on a virgin stallion? When was this ridiculous book written? She flipped back to the front and noted the year. Huh – it was written in 1712. No wonder the information was stupid and idiotic; the book was really, really old. She snapped the book shut and hurled it across the room, her anger and disappointment getting the better of her. She hurried over to the bookcase and picked up another book; _Spells you can't live without._ She rolled her eyes and threw it over her shoulder, before picking up another book. _Magic 101 – what you need to know._

"I probably already know everything," she muttered and tossed it over her shoulder.

She continued doing this until she had cleared off the entire shelf and she didn't stop until she finally heard someone shout "Hermione!". She twirled around and saw Harry standing in the doorway, his mouth agape in shock.

"What the...?" he wondered, his arms held out in front of him towards the heap of books on the floor.

Hermione was still holding a book and without thinking, she hurled it at Harry's head. His arms shot up to protect himself, the book bouncing off his arms and landing on the floor in front of him.

"Hermione, what's wrong with you?" he demanded, striding up to her in a few long steps.

Just as he was about to grab her arms, she started punching his chest.

"What's wrong with me? What's wrong with _you_? You, you... git!"

It took Harry, who was completely taken aback from the assault, a few seconds to react. She had never been a violent person. Even in the war she had preferred to use hexes that wouldn't cause more damage than absolutely necessary. He finally managed to get over his shock, and with it, he got a hold of her arms and he pinned them along her sides.

"Let go of me, Harry!"

"Not a chance, Hermione. If you can't calm down enough to tell me what I've done to make you so angry, I'm going put you in a body-bind."

Hermione glared at him with such a venomous look that Harry almost flinched back from her. He immediately let go of her arms and took a few steps back from her.

"Tell me, Hermione!" he demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You didn't even notice that I was gone!" she shouted and once again swung her arm toward his body to get an outlet for some of her frustration. "I was pushed aside and you didn't even notice!"

Harry's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"You were pushed aside?" he repeated, suddenly feeling a bit stupid for thinking that she had just left because she had been feeling jealous somehow.

"Yes! I landed on my _ass_ and then I had to _crawl_ fifty feet in order to get out of that horde of women. Then I watched you for _five_ whole minutes before I had enough of watching you enjoy all that attention."

Harry's eyes narrowed.

"You think I enjoyed that?" he wondered, his tone becoming dangerously low.

Hermione let out a joyless laugh as she put her hands on her hips.

"Oh, I know you did, even if a part of you felt annoyed as well."

He didn't deny that, and Hermione felt a pang of pain in her heart because of it. Would she ever get used to the constant stream of admirers he would have?

"And you didn't notice that I was gone," she said again, the resentment clear in her tone.

"Alright, I get it!" Harry yelled, suddenly. "You've said that three times now! I'm sorry I didn't notice you were gone right away, but I was trying to think of a way to nicely get rid of the _horde_ of women so that we could go home!"

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Oh, please," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I'm sure you were just trying to make up your mind about who you'd be going home with."

Harry flinched and then stood there dumbfounded, completely taken aback by her words. As soon as she had said it, Hermione wished she could take her words back. Now she was just sounding like a jealous little girl.

"Do you seriously _believe _that?" Harry demanded, his eyes flashing in real anger now. "I told you from the start that I wouldn't be with anyone else as long as we are... doing whatever we're doing. I am enjoying what I have with you now, Hermione. I wouldn't go shag someone just because I have a smorgasbord of women to chose from. You have to _know_ that."

He got some small satisfaction when he saw that she looked guilty. Her arms crossed over her chest and her gaze shifted down to the floorboards, where it stayed until he came closer to her. Sensing, rather than seeing or hearing that he was coming towards her, her eyes snapped up to meet his. Just like a few weeks ago, whenever he took a step towards her, she took a step back.

"Are we back to this then?" Harry wondered as his anger dissolved quickly.

He had just remembered how insecure and inexperienced she was when it came to men, and remembered her doubts about not being attractive – how insignificant she felt in a room full of people, that she thought she would be ignored by most unless they were thanking her for her deeds during the war. Harry suddenly realized that she was waiting for him to come to the conclusion that he shouldn't be with her – that she was expecting him to end this thing they had so that he could start shagging new, beautiful women who knew what they were doing.

She yelped when her back hit the wall and Harry quickly closed the gap between them. She bowed her head so that she wouldn't have to look at those intense, green eyes of his.

"You can't run this time either, Hermione," Harry murmured softly as he put his palms on the wall, trapping her on both sides. "Look at me."

Hermione whimpered – she really didn't want to look at him right now, she was so ashamed – and he saw her lower lip tremble slightly. Harry frowned, wondering if there was something else hidden behind her annoyance and anger at him. He took a deep breath, deciding to worry about that later. For now, he wanted to resolve this issue and he wanted her to understand just how beautiful and sexy and special she was to him. He put one arm around her waist and he ignored the fact that she stiffened, and then placed a finger on her chin and forced it up. She still wouldn't look at him.

"You leave me no choice, then."

Before Hermione could even begin to guess what he meant by that, his mouth was on hers, kissing her carefully as if wondering if what he was doing was okay. When Hermione's eyes fluttered closed, Harry knew that she wanted him to continue. He nibbled gently on her lip, just startling her enough to get her to open her mouth and let him in. They both let out a moan as their tongues connected in a passionate dance, both fighting for dominance over the other. Hermione's hands gripped Harry's shirt, pulled him closer and trying to get the buttons open at the same time. Harry finally pulled back and allowed her to rip his shirt open, buttons flying everywhere before her hands came up around his neck – she pulled down and kissed him hungrily. Harry suddenly grabbed her ass with both hands and lifted her up, pinning her to the wall. Her legs immediately circled around him and she let out a gasp when Harry's mouth let hers to bury his face in between her breast, her cleavage low enough to grant him access to the sensitive skin.

"Oh, for Merlin's SAKE!"

Harry nearly dropped Hermione at the sound of Ron's voice. Hermione let out a shriek of surprise and they both turned to the doorway where Ron stood. He looked mainly amused.

"Sorry for interrupting, but mum and dad will be flooing into this room in less than two minutes. Remember I told you I had invited them over, along with Luna and her father?"

He glanced around the room, suddenly noticing the heap of books on the floor.

"I suggest you apparate her up to your room, Harry. I'll take care of this mess. We'll be having dinner in twenty minutes. Don't be late, or mum will give you a hard time."

Harry didn't need to be told twice. He spun on his heel and the next second they collapsed on Harry's bed, both laughing hysterically. When they calmed down, they turned to look at each other. The semi-fight they had just had in the library seemed to be over now. The snogging and the untimely interruption by Ron had effectively made them forget that they had been annoyed with each other. Still, Harry needed Hermione to understand that he wouldn't just suddenly drop her like yesterday's news.

"Hermione, you need to realize that I'm not just going to dump you for someone else. Like I said before, I like what we have now," he said and gave her a playful little shove with his elbow, his lips forming into a smile.

Hermione just looked at him for a moment before she gave him a small smile back. He didn't have to know that she wanted what they had now to evolve into something more. It wouldn't be a good thing if he knew that she wanted him to be her boyfriend. Not yet, anyway. She would have to ease into that prospect carefully and slowly, so that she wouldn't scare him off. At the moment, she would settle for what they were doing now. But she wanted it to be so much more.

To be continued...


	9. Chapter 9

AN: Sorry for the freaking long delay, but you won't have to wait more than a few days for the next chapter, because it's almost done. And in that chapter, you'll finally get what you've been waiting for!

_Hermione just looked at him for a moment before she gave him a small smile back. He didn't have to know that she wanted what they had now to evolve into something more. It wouldn't be a good thing if he knew that she wanted him to be her boyfriend. Not yet, anyway. She would have to ease into that prospect carefully and slowly, so that she wouldn't scare him off. At the moment, she would settle for what they were doing now. But she wanted it to be so much more. _

Chapter Nine

Ron entered the kitchen the next morning and stopped mid step as he took in the the scene in front of him. Hermione was lying with her arms crossed together on the table, her head resting heavily on her arms, as her body shook with silent tears. His first thought was to run up to Harry and demand to know what the hell he had done to her now, but that wouldn't be quite rational, now would it? He took a deep breath to calm his racing heart and then walked over to the table, pulling up a chair next to Hermione. She must have heard by now that someone was in the room, but it seemed like she just didn't care. He placed his palm on her back and rubbed it gently up and down.

"Hermione... What's wrong?" he wondered softly.

She just cried for another few minutes and then finally she turned her head towards him. Her eyes were puffy and red, so she must have been crying for a long time.

"I don't know what to do, Ron," she whispered and she pushed herself off the table into a sitting position. "I'm starting to regret this whole thing with Harry."

She then told him what had happened yesterday at Diagon Alley, along with her reaction and the way she truly had felt about the whole thing. Ron just sat there, holding her hand in a tight grip, as he waited for her to come out and say what was _really _wrong. He could barely believe that she hadn't figured it out yet, that what she felt for Harry was way beyond any crush.

"Ron, the worst thing is...," she started saying and then clamped her mouth shut, averting her gaze down to her hands. "The worst thing is that I love him. I love him so much that I think I'll go mad soon if I can't be with him for real."

Huh. That didn't take nearly as long as he had expected. Guess she was back to her old self – finally.

Ron hadn't reacted in any kind of way to her confession, so Hermione carefully lifted her eyes to meet his.

"Ron? Didn't you hear what I said?" she asked, her tone indicating that she was confused.

Ron gave her a gentle smile and simply nodded his head.

"Yeah, I did," he answered her as he arose from the chair to make himself his cup of morning tea. "Was I supposed to get shocked? Surprised?"

Hermione's eyes widened in surprise.

"You're neither?"

"Of course not, Hermione. I've known from the start that you wouldn't be doing what you're doing with Harry unless you loved him like that. I've known for even longer that you're the type of person who will love one person, wholly and fully, for the rest of your life, whether you're with that person or not," Ron finished softly as he sat back down next to her.

Hermione groaned as she banged her head against the table.

"Merlin does that sound depressing," she muttered into the table, not bothering to argue against him at his assessment of her. "I'll be alone for the rest of my life then."

Before Ron got a chance to disagree with her, she snapped her head back up and met Ron's gaze with an almost desperate look and he closed his mouth immediately.

"Why did I have to fall in love with Harry Potter? Of all the people I could have fallen for, why did it have to be Harry Potter?"

Ron rolled his eyes as he patted her back gently.

"Merlin, Hermione, when did you become such a drama queen?" he wondered as he got to his feet to get himself a cup of tea and some breakfast. "It doesn't have to be a bad thing. You just need to give Harry time to come to terms with his own feelings. You'll see – it'll turn out in the end."

"How could you possibly know that everything will turn out okay?" Hermione demanded, her eyes filling with tears all over again.

She hated that Harry Potter could make her feel so weak. Ron sighed heavily as he sat back down, ignoring his growling stomach to pull Hermione into his embrace.

"Just give him time, Hermione," he said softly as he kissed the top of her head.

They sat like that for a moment, Hermione crying silently in Ron's arms. After a little while they heard the floorboard creek and they pulled back from each other. Harry stood by the threshold to the kitchen, looking slightly confused and worried.

"What's wrong?" he demanded and took a few steps closer to the table.

Ron got up from the chair, shot Harry an icy look and left the room without a word. Harry's eyebrows shot up in surprise – what had he done this time? He noticed that Hermione's eyes looked red and puffy, as if she had been crying for hours. She swiftly dried her eyes with the back of her hand and then gave Harry a small smile.

"Good morning," she said gently, but Harry wasn't buying it.

"Hermione, what's going on? Why have you been crying?"

She shook her head and got to her feet, suddenly avoiding to look at him directly. Harry narrowed his eyes in confusion at her behavior.

"It's nothing, Harry. Just something between Ron and me."

She was hiding something from him and he didn't like it. Not one bit. Especially when it made Ron look at him like he had committed some kind of cardinal sin. But fine – if Hermione wanted to keep this from him, he wasn't going to do anything to stop her from doing so. It's not like he could force her to tell him anything, but he could a feel a growing frustration inside of him. He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from groaning in annoyance, finally realizing how much he hated that she was keeping things from him.

"Harry, I was thinking it's time that we take things to the next level," Hermione suddenly said, her tone dropping to a secretive whisper at the end of the sentence as she came up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Harry frowned, genuinely confused. Hermione Granger had never been one for mood swings, but today was a day for the books. How could she go from crying and sad to happy and sexy in less than a second?

"Er, what do you mean?" he wondered as he placed his hands on her lower back, relishing in the feeling of having her body so closely pushed up against his own.

"Oh, I think you know what I mean, Harry," she whispered into his ear, her breath tickling him gently in the process. "I want you to do what you promised me you would. I want you to take my virginity. I want you to make me a woman. "

HP * HP * HP * HP * HP

A few hours later, Hermione could hardly believe what she had said to Harry. She replayed the event over and over in her head and she knew that she would never forget the dumbfounded look on Harry's face as she had pulled back to see his reaction. His eyes had bulged and he had opened and closed his mouth a few times, spluttering incoherently until he finally got his act together and asked her if she was sure. She had kissed his lips tenderly in reply and told him not to come back until dinner time – she was going to prepare a romantic evening for the two of them tonight. Harry had given her an unsure look, suddenly looking very much like the boy she had first met on the train to Hogwarts, but then he had given her a small smile and light kiss before he left the room.

She knew he had to go meet Kingsley and deal with what had happened during the raid, meaning that he would have been gone most of the day even without her ordering him out of the house. The quiet emptiness of Grimmauld Place had given her plenty of time to think and yet she still couldn't pinpoint exactly why she had decided it was time for Harry to take her virginity. In the beginning, she had had several possible theories and by now she had managed to cut them down to two.

Either she just really wanted Harry to be her first, even if she knew there was a slim chance at best that they would be together for the rest of their lives. She knew Harry would treat her with respect and be loving and gentle, doing all in his power to make sure she suffered as little discomfort and pain as possible. And with what they had done and experienced together in the last couple of weeks, Hermione was convinced that sex with Harry would be absolutely wonderful.

The other theory was a more desperate one, a way to try to convince Harry that she could be the One and that she could be great in the sack if she was only taught how. No matter what anyone said, sex was a very important factor in a relationship – probably even more important with Harry than with anyone else she could have picked. Top-notch sex would be first way to show him that it would be stupid to end things with her – if the sex was great, there wouldn't be any need for Harry to be someone else, right? And with time, he would fall in love with her.

Hermione cringed, being fully aware of how idiotic, sad and desperate the second theory sounded and she was leaning towards claiming the truth of the first theory, just because the second one made her feel like she was a teenager trying to force someone to fall in love with her and that was so not what she wanted. But she couldn't deny that it was part of the reason and she finally came to the conclusion that both theories were correct, entwined with each other.

In the middle of the day, Hermione got some shocking news by owl, but decided that it didn't really matter. The letter was from her boss at St Mungo's, saying that she either had to make up the days she had been gone with an additional hour per day or she should look for employment somewhere else. Hermione let out an irritated huff – her boss was a complete arse and she hated working for him. She had only put up with it because she thought she would be able to advance to the department that worked with actually researching potions. _No more. I'm done with this crap._ Hermione quickly sent him her resignation, knowing this was the last thing he had expected her to do. As for finding new employment... She wasn't worried about that. She was, after all, the brightest witch of her age. If nothing else, she could always go work with George, like he had offered.

Kreacher helped her cook roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, Harry's favorite, but after she explained to him that she and Harry were going to have a romantic supper in the library in front of the fireplace, Kreacher had vanished the prepared meal with a huff, saying that roast beef and Yorkshire pudding was not suitable when romance was involved.

"Well, what would you serve then?" Hermione answered indignantly, her arms crossing over her chest.

The elf ticked off a list he had in his head and Hermione's eyes widened in surprise as she listened, her mouth watering by the time he was done. They would be having assorted seafoods as the first course – grilled scampi skewers, sautéed scallops and half a lobster, served with some fresh greens. For the main course they would have Chateaubriand steak with roasted potatoes and parsnips, along with French bread and melted butter with herbs. Lastly, dessert would be chocolate fondue with freshly cut fruits – apples, pineapple, pears and some strawberries. As for drinks... A white, dry wine with the seafood, red wine with the steak and lastly some sweet, sparkling wine with dessert. Finally Kreacher came to a stop and then watched Hermione expectedly as he waited for her reaction.

"You're right, Kreacher, that does sound absolutely wonderful," Hermione said almost breathlessly and he beamed and bowed his head in delight. "But I don't know how make any of the things you just said."

"No worries, Miss Hermione, Kreacher knows!"

Hermione smiled at his obvious eagerness, hardly believing that this same elf had treated her with open contempt and disrespect only a few years ago. It seemed as if Kreacher either had forgotten in his old age that she was in fact muggle-born, or he simply didn't care anymore.

"Well, I can at least set up the library," she murmured, more to herself than to Kreacher.

"No, Miss! Kreacher will do that as well. Miss Hermione should be upstairs, soaking in a long, hot bath, before fixing herself up for Master Harry. Kreacher will take care of everything!"

And with that he nudged her out of the kitchen. Hermione was a little dazed for a minute, before she simply shrugged her shoulders. She had come to terms with Kreacher's need to please everyone and knew that she would offend him by offering to help now that he had decided that he would organize and cook everything. So she did as he had told her to do. She took a long bath, only getting out once her skinned was shriveled and the water nearly cold. By six o'clock she was ready, looking and feeling more beautiful and sexy than she had ever done before.

She had magically straightened her frizzy hair before she had curled it into soft, spiral curls that even with magic was quite hard to do and had taken a long time to do. She had chosen to forgo most makeup, only applying a thin layer of mascara and some rosy lip gloss. As for clothes, she put on a peach colored summer dress in a lightly sheer material. Underneath she wore her nicest underwear, a lingerie-set she had bought years ago, but never actually worn before. On top she wore a lace overlay, underwire bustier with a satin ribbon in between her breasts, the side panels made out of chiffon. The matching hipster panties were made entirely out of lace.

When she came back downstairs, she asked Kreacher carefully if she could help with anything.

"No, no, Miss Hermione! Go sit in the library and Kreacher will fetch you something to drink."

Hermione's eyebrows shot up in surprise, but she obeyed his command nonetheless. There was a twinkle in the little elf's eyes she hadn't seen before and she didn't want to do or say anything that might make it disappear. She let out a small gasp when she entered the library. There were dozens of candles lit everywhere and together with the roaring fire, the room looked absolutely amazing. Kreacher had placed a low table, indicating that she and Harry would be sitting on the floor, on the carpet and on it stood two crystal candle holders along with a vase containing two, red roses. It was simple, and that's what made it so beautiful, so perfect. She sat down on the couch and simply stared around the room for a moment. This was perfect. More than she ever could have hoped for, for her first time.

Kreacher popped in with a glass of white wine for her and was off again the next second after giving her a small bow. She checked the clock on the wall. Harry would be home in less than fifty minutes. She wondered if he was anywhere near as nervous and excited as she saw. If he was nervous at all.

HP * HP * HP * HP * HP

Harry had been a mess all day. He couldn't concentrate and he was easily startled, although he was quite certain that Kingsley was sure that this was only due to the fact that he still wasn't back to a hundred percent. All he wanted to do was to go home. He wanted to be with Hermione, but not only because of what she had said in the morning. He had been with her constantly for several days and he hated that she wasn't here with him. The longer the day went on, the more nervous he got about what awaited him when he went back to Grimmauld Place, remembering in perfect detail how Hermione's eyes had sparkled when she said she was going to fix them a romantic evening. He barely understood what that meant.

His previous experience with women had never been about romance. It had been about having fun, mindless fun without worries about what the future would hold for them, because there had never been a future to start with. With Hermione there was a future, even if they ended their... _thing_, because she was his best friend and they would always be in each other's lives. If he messed up their relationship completely... He would be lost without her.

So when Harry finally went home, he was nervous and unsure of himself, but full of anticipation as well. He apparated into his room, took a quick shower and then dressed himself in a pair of dark jeans and a black, Hugo Boss shirt with buttons. As he made his way down the stairs, the smell of the most wonderful foods hit him smack in the face and he paused for a moment on the steps, inhaling deeply, wondering for a moment why he was so hungry. Oh right. He had forgotten to eat lunch today. He made his way to the kitchen, where he thought Hermione would be, but was quickly ushered out of the room by Kreacher while informing him that Miss Hermione was in the library.

As he got closer to the library, Harry found himself wondering if this was a good idea. This seemed an awful lot like a date, and he didn't really have much experience of dating. His past relationships these last couple of years had only been physical, as he hadn't been interested in starting anything that could lead to something serious. Sex, that was all that it had been. Most of the girls he went home with he hardly ever saw again. So what would he do tomorrow, when he woke up next to Hermione after he had ravished her all night? It wasn't as if he could slip away with a "thank you, that was an awesome night". Did he even want to slip away from her? He shook his head and reprimanded himself – he was not ready for a real relationship and that wouldn't magically change just because it was Hermione.

And then he saw her. He stopped mid step in the doorway and just stared at her in awe. She was so beautiful. The light from the fireplace illuminated her, giving her features a soft glow. She was staring in to the fire, so he couldn't see her eyes, and he wondered what she was thinking about. He hadn't seen her hair curled in this way since the Yule Ball in their fourth year and he had liked it then – now he absolutely loved it. He cleared his throat softly and she jumped slightly before turning towards him. They stared at each other for a moment and then Hermione gave him a small, shy smile.

"Hey," she said gently, almost in a whisper.

"Hey," he said in return, just as gently.

A moment of silence followed. Then–

"Are you going to stay on the threshold all night?" Hermione wondered as she lifted a slender eyebrow in questioning sort of way.

Harry just shook his head in reply, but made no attempt to get any closer. Hermione was starting to get worried that he had changed his mind.

"Come on, Harry. There is yummy food over here on the floor," she tried to coax him and then added, "Oh – and me."

He smiled at that and forced his legs to start moving. Hermione got to her feet and greeted him with a soft kiss on his cheek. Harry suddenly wanted much more than that and grabbed her chin in between his fingers before she got a chance to turn away from him completely and kissed her slowly and imploringly, loving the way Hermione melted in his arms.

"You're beautiful," he whispered when he drew back from her.

Hermione's smile was still rather shy, he noted.

"Thanks. You don't look too bad yourself," she said, her smile widening as he chuckled at that. "Please, have a seat."

Some of Harry's nervousness disappeared as the two friends settled into an easygoing conversation. He was so engrossed in her tale about the research she had started on while she was still studying to become a potions researcher that he jumped slightly in surprise when Kreacher popped in with their first course of the evenings dinner. Harry had never gotten the opportunity to eat much seafood and had therefor gotten the silly notion in his head that he didn't like it. But he was not the kind of person who balked at trying new things, he was a Gryffindor after all, and with one bite of the lobster, he knew he had been wrong.

"So why did you give up your research?" Harry wondered as he switched from the lobster to try the scallops.

Hermione shrugged her shoulders slightly.

"I haven't really given it up, I just put it on hold when I went to work at St Mungo's. Oh, speaking of which, I quit today."

Harry nearly choked on the sip of wine he had just taken.

"What?" he exclaimed as he coughed to get his airways clear of liquid. "Why?"

"Well, I got an owl today saying that I had a choice – I could make up for the time I missed when I took care of you, with interest, or I could look for another job. My boss is a bastard, so I thought this would be a good opportunity to do something else. Something I would enjoy."

When she looked up at Harry, he had that guilty look on his face – the one where you could tell that he felt responsible for something that really wasn't his fault.

"Harry, don't you _dare_," she hissed angrily. "What was I supposed to do? Leave you to yourself when you couldn't even sit up on your own? No, there was no a choice for me. I would have been in complete agony if I'd been forced to go to work while you were so weak. I _had _to take care of you."

Harry didn't say anything, but he took a deep breath before his hand circled around her wrist.

"I know, okay?" he replied gently, his thumb stroking her skin softly. "I just can't help but wonder if I'm really worth losing your job over."

He something in her eyes change and he didn't understand at all what it meant. He could see pain, guilt, passion... What on earth was going on inside her head?

"You're worth everything, Harry. What do I have to do to make you understand that?"

They stared at each other for a moment and then Hermione turned her head towards the fireplace.

"Just believe me when I say that I'm not sad about losing my job. It's a relief, really. Maybe I'll go work with George."

"George?" Harry repeated incredulously.

Hermione turned her gaze back to him and shrugged a shoulder.

"Sure, why not?" she asked as she popped a scampi into her mouth. "He wouldn't be a slave-driver, I'd get to work with research and meet people everyday in the shop – do you have any idea how boring it is to share a lab with just one other person day in and day out? Plus, I think George needs the company."

Harry contemplated this for a moment and then agreed that working with George might not be such a bad idea. They sat in silence for quite some time, eating and drinking with their own thoughts as company. This time they both jumped when Kreacher popped in to the library. He noticed the empty plates and glasses, and cleared the table with a snap of his fingers. Another snap and their main course, with red wine, popped in and landed gracefully on the table.

"Thank you, Kreacher," Hermione said with a smile before he disappeared.

Once Harry got over his guilt, the rest of their meal was pleasant. They swapped stories and memories from Hogwarts, laughing as they recalled memories such as the the time she had punched Malfoy in the face and Luna's outrageous Gryffindor-hat she used to wear at Quidditch games. Once dessert had been eaten, Kreacher got rid of everything, including the table, and Harry and Hermione lazily stretched out on the luxurious carpet.

"I don't think I've ever had such a perfectly delicious meal," Harry groaned out as he patted his stomach. "I can't move."

Hermione chuckled and turned over on her side, facing him.

"I know what you mean. I never knew Kreacher was such an excellent cook. He usually just makes a lot of casseroles, stews, pies and roasted stuff."

Harry made an effort to face her and with a grunt he flopped over on his side as well.

"Maybe that's just because we've never asked him to cook anything else," Harry said with a smile. "He did seem to enjoy himself."

"Oh, you should have seen the look on his face when I told you we were having a romantic dinner. He shoved me out of the kitchen and told me, no ordered me, to go make myself pretty for you while he took care of everything."

Harry let out a laugh at that and then he lifted his hand to Hermione's face, caressing her cheek gently.

"So it's Kreacher I have to thank for the way you look tonight?" he wondered as he cupped her cheek, and he was delighted to feel a warmth under his hand, as if she was blushing.

"Not only him," she answered coyly. "It was after all me who did everything. I've never spent hours on my looks, but I guess there's gotta be a first for everything."

Harry smiled and then scooted closer to her, his hand leaving her face to land on her hip.

"I hope you realize that you don't have spend hours on your looks for me, Hermione. You're beautiful just the way you are."

Hermione looked down and tired swallowing away the lump that had formed in her throat. Why was it so hard for her to believe him?

"Hey," Harry said, suddenly worried at her lack of response. "Hermione, look at me."

She lifted her gaze and met his shyly. Harry licked his lips and then slowly leaned forward, giving her time to understand that he was going to kiss her. He simply pecked her lips a few times, but in between each peck, he spoke to her.

"You – are – beautiful – Hermione – what – do I – have – to do – to – make – you – see – that?

Hermione's eyes had fluttered closed when he had leaned forward and they stayed closed until she realized that he had stopped kissing her. She opened her eyes carefully to see Harry looking at her intently. A smile spread slowly on her face and then she lunged at him, her lips crashing over his as she straddled him, her hands firmly placed on each side of his head. Harry gasped in surprise, but his hands flew to her bum, holding her firmly in place on top of him. As the kiss deepened, Harry's arms came around her back, his hands traveling up and down – he just wanted to touch her everywhere and it was like he didn't have enough limbs to do so.

"Hermione," Harry gasped out into her mouth and she moaned in reply.

Harry pushed her face away from him slightly, his eyes scorching.

"Don't you think we should move this upstairs?" he asked and he saw her hesitate for a moment before she nodded. "Are you sure, Hermione?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Take me to bed, Harry."


	10. Chapter 10

AN: See, I told you you wouldn't have to wait long! Enjoy! =)

"_Yes, I'm sure. Take me to bed, Harry."_

Chapter Ten

Instead of just apparating them upstairs, Harry picked up Hermione's lithe form in his arms and carried her up the stairs, stopping every now and then when the urge to kiss her became to great. He carefully placed her on his bed and then kept his gaze locked with hers as he started taking off his clothes, leaving only his boxers on. Hermione only broke eye contact once to be able to get a look at his gorgeous body. Her own body was already tingling and he hadn't even touched her yet. He joined her in bed, lying down next to her so that he would be able to slide the dress of her. Hermione trembled in anticipation as he undressed her and she heard him gasp at the sight of her lingerie.

"Did you buy this just for me?" he wondered as he stroke the bustier from the bottom and up, gently cupping her breast as he placed a kiss on the part of it that wasn't covered.

"No, I've this for years," Hermione answered in a matter-of-fact tone.

Harry felt his heart constrict slightly. He hated the thought that any other man had seen her in this and was about to growl when she continued;

"But I've never worn it before."

Harry tore his eyes away from the bustier and then met her gaze, searching for the truth in her words. Then he felt stupid, knowing that with Hermione's track record, there was no one she could have worn this for before him. And why had the thought of another man seeing her in this made him so jealous? He had been with countless women, and it wasn't as if she was jealous of them. Right?

"Kiss me, Harry," Hermione whispered, bringing him out of his thoughts.

He leaned down and captured her lips in a careful kiss, suddenly feeling as if she was a fragile being that could break at any moment. He lifted her slightly off the bed and sneaked an arm around her to undo the zipper of the bustier. As much as he loved the sexy piece of clothing, he liked her amazing naked form so much more. Once the bustier was off, he devoured her breasts, giving both equal attention as he let her gasps and moans guide him to what she enjoyed the most. Apparently she was quite indifferent to him being gentle with them and her peaked nipples, because he only got a reaction when he squeezed or kneaded them harder and with a more urgent need, or when he bit down gently over her nipples. He even twisted her nipple in between his fingers once, which made her lift of the bed with a shout of pleasure. And then suddenly she pushed him away. He laid down on his back on the bed as he gave her a confused look.

"Take your boxers off, Harry. I wanna see him."

Harry's eyes clouded over as her fingers came in under the hemline of his underwear and he lifted his bum of the bed so that she could slide them off. Once his member was free, he sighed in relief – the boxers were so tight and his erection so big that it had been quite painful. He closed his eyes as Hermione's fingers circled around him, gently pumping her hand up and down. He let her do this for a while, but he wanted her do be on the receiving end tonight, so after a few minutes he reluctantly took hold of her hand and pried her fingers open.

"This evening is about you, Hermione," he whispered. "Let me make this as special for you as I can."

She gave him a long, passionate kiss in reply and then she allowed him to turn her over on her back. For a while he just looked at her, still unsure if he should go through with this. _But it what she wants_, a voice inside his said. _And it's what you want. _He couldn't deny that. But still... She had never been with a man before. And he had never been with anyone like her. He licked his lips and sighed softly, which finally caused Hermione to notice his hesitation and nervousness.

"I know why I'm nervous, Harry, but why are you nervous?" she asked in a hushed tone, hoping she wasn't breaking the mood for asking such a thing.

Harry gave her a small smile as he caressed her face gently and then he leaned down to give her a soft kiss before he answered her.

"Because it's you," he said simply, hoping that would be enough.

However, Hermione frowned, confusion obvious on her face. Harry sighed, knowing that she wouldn't let it go until he had explained what he meant.

"I've never been with a virgin before," he started and noticed that she blushed, "because I've been terrified about hurting them. I do not want to hurt you, Hermione. Just the thought of it sends my heart racing into overdrive."

The frown disappeared and was replaced by an understanding smile.

"Harry, I know it might hurt – that's just way it is for women," Hermione answered as she gently let a finger caress his cheek. "But I know that you will be gentle and do everything in your power to make it as painless as possible. I trust you completely."

Harry searched her eyes for a moment and saw nothing but the truth shining out of her brown orbs. He was still nervous and there was probably nothing he could do about that.

"Come on, Harry. I've waited to be with you like this for so long. Don't make me wait any longer."

How could he refuse her? He had Hermione Granger lying beneath him in nothing but a pair of lacy knickers, looking absolutely gorgeous in the soft, illuminations from the fireplace, ready to give herself to him. Was he even worthy of such a gift? Hermione finally decided that Harry was over thinking things and quite abruptly pulled him down into a kiss that was so scorching hot for them both that they moaned simultaneously as they melted into each others arms. Harry abandoned her mouth in favor of her peaked nipples and as he let his tongue swirl over them, he let go of his nervousness and decided to just go with his instincts. If the sounds Hermione was making were anything to go by, he obviously had some skills.

He distangled one arm from under her so that he could run the now free hand down over her body – down over her stomach and then he sidestepped her most intimate area by letting his hand settle on the her thigh, his fingers playing with the skin he knew to be very sensitive. She squirmed underneath him, trying in vain to get his hand where she wanted it. Harry smiled into her chest and then lifted his head to capture her lips in a kiss that left them both breathless. He pulled away slightly to be able to look into her eyes when she finally would feel him cupping her where she wanted his hand the most.

"Yeeees," Hermione hissed as she bucked her hips in an attempt to get closer to the hand, to feel more pressure and Harry smiled, loving that he had gotten just the reaction he had been hoping for.

Harry's caress were almost too gentle for her liking and she could guess that he was doing this on purpose, to make her so crazy with want that she could barely stand it. Finally, she placed her hand over Harry's and forced his touches to be more forceful, while she looked at him with fire in her eyes. Harry was not prepared for the effect that look had on him. He growled before grabbing the fabric of her knickers and forcefully ripped them off, not at all caring that he just destroyed a pair of what were probably some very expensive panties. Hermione gasped, the look in her eyes intensifying before her eyelids fluttered closed when his fingers finally starting working on her core. Then before she got a chance to react, he flipped her over so that she suddenly was on top of him and as he got comfortable on the pillows, Hermione found herself wondering what on on earth was going to happen now.

"Place your knees on each side of me and scoot up closer to me," Harry murmured and Hermione did as she was told. "No, a little closer... A little closer. That's it."

As he grabbed her ass, Hermione's eyebrows shot up in surprise in realization why he wanted her like this. Her hands grabbed the headboard and she shut her eyes in pleasure when his tongue darted out and started licking, kissing and suckling her center. When his tongue entered in between her folds, Hermione threw her head back and shouted out in ecstasy. Harry mentally scolded himself for not thinking of trying this sooner – not only was it obvious that she loved it, but it was bloody hot seeing her from this angle.

"Harry - this - is - amazing," she panted out in between gasps for breath.

He smiled as best as he could at that, but he didn't stop his thorough ministrations, because he wanted her to writhe in pleasure, lose herself completely in the ecstasy – to have at least one delicious orgasm before he entered her. His right hand left her bum to grab a hold of a breast instead and he twisted the nipple like he had done before, hoping for the same or a stronger reaction than he had gotten before. He was not disappointed.

"AAAAH, HARRY!" she screamed and bucked her hips forward, grabbing the headboard in a stronger hold so that she wouldn't fall over in a heap – Harry felt his member twitch at the sound of her scream and he repeated the action, twisting the nipple slightly harder this time. "HARRY! Aaaah, I'm so close, Harry, make me come, please make me – OH, YES!"

His other hand had left her bum so that he could twist both nipples at the same time and didn't even get a chance to do it again before she started howling.

"Haaaaarrry, yeeeees!" she moaned and sniffled until her body calmed down after the best orgasm of her life.

She got off Harry and flopped down beside him, snuggling into his chest.

"That was amazing," she panted, her breath tickling him somewhat. "So fucking awesome."

Harry let out a snort of laughter at her cursing. She turned to face him, a curious expression on her face. She noticed that he looked immensely pleased with himself.

"What's so funny?" she wondered as she trailed her fingers over his muscular chest.

"You, cursing. I don't think I've ever heard you say 'fucking' before."

Hermione smiled sweetly and started kissing his naked skin.

"That's because you haven't made me come that hard before," she said huskily, bringing her hand down to grab his hardness in her hand again.

She loved the way his eyes closed in contentedness and the way his breath became erratic. She left his side and turned around, her bum facing Harry, and took the head of his erection in her mouth, kissing it softly and swirling her tongue around it. Harry thought his heart would stop. Her perfectly shaped ass was close enough for him to spank it, but he decided against it – perhaps a little roughness in the future, but for her first time? No. He forced his eyes away from her bum and settled instead on her center, glistening with the juices her orgasm had brought. The sight of it, along with her mouth and hand on him, would be his undoing if she didn't stop _now_.

"Hermione, you need to stop," he forced himself to say and he groaned, despite of himself, when he felt her hot mouth leave him.

His eyes flew open and he saw that she had turned her head just enough to look at him.

"You don't like it?" she asked in disbelief, sounding as wounded as she looked as she let go of him as if she had been stung.

He smiled gently and pulled her up to him.

"Hermione, love, don't be stupid. I like it _too much_," he said and gave her a pointed look.

Hermione's wounded look was replaced with a smirk and she crawled up on top of him, sitting down on his lower stomach as she rested her hands on his chest. She could just feel the tip of his member on her left buttock and as she leaned forward to kiss him, she felt it twitch, which sent a tremor of arousal through her body and down to her center. His hands cupped her bum and when the kiss deepened, Harry grabbed her firmly and flipped them over. As much as he liked having the girl on top, he had a feeling that missionary would be better for her first time.

"I want you, so badly, Harry," she whispered into his mouth.

Harry lifted his head slightly and stared into her brown orbs for quite some time. They were full of anticipation, trust... and something he couldn't quite decipher. He pulled away from her completely and grabbed his wand on the nightstand next to his bed, and he murmured something as he pointed it towards Hermione's stomach.

"Oh, thank you," she whispered, her eyes wide as she realized what he had just done. "I don't even know how to cast a contraceptive charm."

Harry gave her a playful smile.

"You're admitting there's something you don't know?"

"Oh, shut up, Harry," Hermione said as she rolled her eyes. "Why do you know how to do them then?"

Harry lifted an eyebrow, the answer obvious to him.

"Because I'm Harry Potter, Hermione. Do you have any idea how many women want to sleep with me only so they can get pregnant? No, I learned after a few times that I only can trust myself with that charm."

Hermione smiled at him, feeling awfully proud of him for being so responsible.

"That's my boy," she said and grabbed his arm to pull him closer. "Now will you get over here and take care of me, please?"

Harry grinned and pounced on her with an animalistic growl, and Hermione let out a shriek of laughter as he gently pressed his lips on her stomach and blew a couple of times before he quickly sobered up and settled in between her legs.

"Are you ready, Hermione?" he wondered seriously, his tone husky.

She just nodded. Harry was happy that he couldn't see any hesitation in those brown orbs of hers. He lifted himself enough to get a hand down in between them and then he slowly, but steadily started guiding himself in between Hermione's tight folds. They let out a collective gasp at the contact and Hermione automatically closed her eyes as new feelings of pleasures coursed through her body.

"No, Hermione, look at me," Harry whispered, wanting to see the emotions going through her mind and share this with her in every possible way.

Hermione opened them and she let out a small whimper as Harry slowly pushed himself further inside her. She was waiting for the pain that she had heard so much about and without knowing that she was doing it, she started clenching her muscles around Harry's erection. He immediately came to a halt.

"Don't do that!" Harry gasped out in surprise and Hermione stilled, not even knowing what she had done in the first place. "You're tight enough as it is, love. Clenching like that will only make it harder for me to be gentle."

Hermione's mouth formed into an "oh" and then she clenched her muscles again, just to see if that was what he was talking about. Harry let out a groan and he closed his eyes, just enjoying what she was doing for a moment. He opened his eyes to see her smiling sweetly. 

"I won't do that anymore, I promise," she vowed and then lifted her head to give him a quick kiss. "For now, anyway."

Harry's eyes darkened as the meaning of her words hit him and he ground his teeth together in an attempt to ignore them. He needed to focus on the task ahead. He gently continued pushing himself inside her as he kissed her tenderly, loving the way her hands moved kind of awkwardly through his hair – he bit back a groan when it got tangled in her fingers, and because of this it took him a moment to realize that he was fully inside of her. He broke away from her and stared at her in awe.

"Hermione?" he breathed, wondering if she was even aware of it herself.

"Yes, Harry?" she replied, just as breathlessly.

"Are you in any pain?"

Hermione shook her head slowly.

"Any discomfort?"

She shook her head again, giving him a lazy smile.

"I'm fully inside of you, Hermione," he explained softly, seeing the question in her eyes. "You must have broken the barrier on your own."

Hermione's smile widened and then she brought his lips back to her own for a quick kiss.

"Harry, don't get technical with me. Just... make love to me."

Harry started moving at a slow pace, wanting to make sure that she was in neither pain nor discomfort before he started his ministrations for real. Hermione's eyes closed and she let out a long moan of bliss. This was so much better than she ever could have imagined it. He felt so slick inside of her and she loved this feeling of being completely filled to the brim. Harry captured her lips in another tender kiss that almost made Hermione want to cry – these kisses were like nothing they had shared before. These kisses were, at least for her, more full of love than lust. These were the type of kisses that were shared between two people in love. Harry, of course, didn't see it as love – indeed, the thought didn't even enter his mind. His sole purpose was to treat Hermione with the respect and tenderness she deserved.

"Still no pain?" Harry panted into her mouth.

She shook her head a third time.

"I don't think we have to worry about that, Harry. Please let it go and show me what you got, Mr Potter" she said in between pants with a playful smile.

Harry's eyes narrowed for a moment before he grinned.

"Very well, Miss Granger. Your wish is my command."

He thrust her left leg up slightly in the air, ignoring the look of surprise in Hermione's eyes, knowing it would turn into a look of pleasure in a moment. And sure enough, as she she let out a moan her eyes closed, loving how the new angle allowed him to push himself deeper into her. Harry leaned forward towards her neck, kissing and suckling her smooth skin, letting the hitches in her breath guide him to what she enjoyed the most. She bucked her hips as he hit something inside of her that made her feel as if she was on fire and she let out a shout of pure bliss.

"Harry, can I be on top?" Hermione suddenly panted out, almost causing Harry's heart to stop.

No girl had ever asked him something like that. He had always liked having the girl being on top best, but it was seldom that he got to enjoy it. In the past, most girls had just taken control of the situation and ridden the shit out of him. The ones of them who actually managed to make it enjoyable for him, were the ones who _hadn't _ridden the shit out of him and had taken it a bit slower. None of them had taken the constructive criticism well and he had been forced to change position in order to keep them pacified. But Hermione wouldn't know what to do – besides, just as he wanted to do everything in his power to satisfy her, he knew that she would want to do the same in return.

"Of course you can, love," he answered with a smile and he pulled out of her.

He flopped down on his back and pulled her on top of him, kissing her thoroughly as he gave her bum a little slap.

"Ooh!" Hermione gasped in surprise as she broke away for him, but her eyes lit up in excitement. "Mr Potter, I hardly think that's the best conduct for a gentlemen to be treating a lady, now is it?"

Harry grinned as pulled her face down in for a lingering kiss and then slapped her bum gently again, laughing softly as a second "ooh!" was uttered.

"Perhaps not, but I think it might be the proper way for a man to take care of a naughty little witch, like you," he whispered into her ear, earning himself a gasp against his cheek.

Hermione straddled him and then gave him a scorching look.

"Help me, Harry," she said as she put her hands on his chest.

He inserted the tip of his member into her center and then she took over, slowly lowering herself down on him. They closed their eyes at the same moment, both of them feeling as if they had been missing this for hours instead of just a few short minutes. She took a few seconds to adjust to his size and then she started moving up and down, her pace slow and steady. Yes, this was the way Harry liked it. And it sounded and looked like this was the Hermine liked it to.

"Oh, Harry, do you have any idea how good this feels?" Hermione said through gritted teeth, throwing her head back as waves of pleasure coursed through her body.

"I might have some idea," Harry mumbled in reply as his hands grabbed her bum in an attempt to help her stay in control of the rhythm.

They moved together as one in perfect harmony, as if they had been made for each other. Harry loved watching her, with her head thrown back, her eyes closed and her mouth opened, her breathing heavy and uncontrolled. The soft curls she had had in the beginning of the evening were now a tangled mess, but it was sexy as hell. She was so beautiful. So perfect.

"Harry, is there any way for us to come together?" she wondered suddenly as her movements on him increased a little in speed.

"Of course," he just answered simply, "are you close?"

"Yes," Hermione answered, a whimper following her reply.

Harry continued meeting her thrusts, but made them each a little harder. Hermione thought she was going to come right there and then when she felt his thumb circle the swollen bud that always gave her so much ecstasy. She arched her back and moaned his name loudly.

"Harder, Harry, harder," she panted out and she started moving her hips faster up and down, crying out in pleasure as she felt him hit that spot inside of her again. "So close, Harry. You?"

Harry was pretty darn close and only nodded in reply.

"Look at me, love," Harry murmured pleadingly and he whimpered slightly at the intense look in her eyes.

Hermione's eyes were half closed with lust, but they kept their gazes looked with the other as they felt the sweet, delicious orgasms building up inside of them. Just as Hermione was about to come, she leaned over Harry to feel his body moving together with hers and she kissed him passionately. When she broke away, she stayed an inch or two in front of his face. The emerald eyes were clouded over, but he was defiantly looking into hers as well.

"Come for me, Harry," she whispered against his mouth and they both closed their eyes as Harry made one last attempt to pick up the speed.

They finally came together, Hermione more or less screaming out as pure bliss took over all of her senses, while Harry buried himself inside her as far up as he possibly could, moaning into her neck. They stayed like that for a few minutes, Hermione lying on Harry's torso, both breathing heavily as they tried to calm their racing hearts. Hermione eventually slid of him and went to lie next to him instead, the chilliness of the room finally getting the better of her.

"Harry, that... that was absolutely... There are no words, Harry. Thank you."

Harry chuckled slightly as he shook his head, placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Don't thank me, Hermione. I should be thanking you. You were amazing."

Hermione blushed in delight and propped herself up on her elbow so that she could see his face.

"I'm exhausted," she said and saw Harry nod in agreement. "I think it's time for us to sleep. But first, Harry, I really want you to know that I meant it. Thank you, for making my first time so special. It was perfect."

Harry smiled and lifted his head just enough to be able to give her a small kiss.

"You're welcome," he whispered and then gave her another kiss.

They stared at each other for a moment and then Hermione turned around on her side, laying her head on Harry's arm and then signaled for him to embrace her so that her back rested firmly against his chest.

"Good night, Harry," she whispered.

"Good night, Hermione."

Soon, Hermione could feel the change in Harry's heart rate and breathing, signaling that he had fallen asleep. Her body was still trembling and she knew now that Harry would be the only guy for her. She loved him with her whole being and she would do anything to keep him happy. Even if that meant saying good-bye to what they had been doing – she wanted more from him. She wanted all of him, including his heart.

"Do you have any idea how much I love you? That I'm in love with you?" she whispered softly to what she thought was herself.

Little did she know that Harry was still awake, even though it was borderline to sleeping. He heard her soft questions and he instinctively knew that she didn't mean for him to hear them. But he had.

Sweet Merlin – Hermione _love _loved him.

Holy crap, she really _loved _him. How could he had not have seen this before? _Because you're clueless_, a voice inside his head answered him. Problem was, he had no idea what to think or what to feel now, knowing that she was in love with him. _Fuck._

To be continued...

AN: Maybe not quite what I had imagined for their first time, but it's the first time I've ever written an actual, real sex scene before. Now that Hermione's not a virgin anymore, maybe my imagination will run a little wilder for future chapters. Anyway, hope you enjoyed it! Either way, please consider letting me know what you think!


	11. Chapter 11

_Holy crap, she really loved him. How could he had not have seen this before? Because you're clueless, a voice inside his head answered him. Problem was, he had no idea what to think or what to feel now, knowing that she was in love with him. Fuck. _

Chapter Eleven

Hermione awoke next morning with the feeling that someone was staring at her. After blinking a few times in order to get used to the sunlight streaming in through the blinds, her gaze settled on the face of Harry Potter, who indeed was staring at her. He gave her a gentle smile when he saw that she was awake, a smile which she returned with a shy innocence that made his heart clench.

"Hey," he whispered as he brought his hand up to hers, carefully entwining his fingers with hers.

"Hey," she answered, her reply also an whisper.

She wondered how long he had been awake and if he had been staring at her nonstop since then. She hoped she hadn't been so out of it that she had been drooling.

"How are you?" he asked her as something in eyes shifted, but his smile was still there.

He opened his arms, inviting her in and she scooted closer to him.

"Me? I'm absolutely perfect," she said as cuddled into his embrace, her face close enough to his chest for her to kiss it. "You?"

He kissed the top of her head and tightened his arms around her a little.

"I'm good," he answered as his fingers started trailing a path over her back. "Are you sore at all?"

Hermione chuckled into his chest and then she turned her neck enough to be able look him in the eye.

"No, Harry. I'm perfect."

And that was the truth. She had never woken up feeling so relaxed and content after a night's sleep and though she didn't feel any different physically, she felt like a new person today. Harry had opened her eyes to so many things – she could, for instance, somewhat understand now why he had lead such a lascivious life in the recent years. From here on forth, sex would be addictive, even for her, and she pushed away the feeling of dread she felt when she wondered what withdrawal would be like when, not if, Harry cut her lose. She wanted to berate herself for thinking such things, that she was so sure that he wasn't capable of change, but she needed to stay realistic simply in order to protect her heart. Besides, there was a huge chance that Harry would change, but that could take years. They were, after all, still very young, even by muggle standards. But Hermione would wait for him forever, if she had to.

Since Harry had woken, over an hour before Hermione, he had had a variety of feelings and thoughts shoot in and out of his mind. He was more confused and conflicted than ever and he hated it, as it made him feel weak. And more than anything else, he felt as if he was being unfair to Hermione for not being ready for a real relationship and the last thing he wanted was to lead her on. At the same time, he felt as if he couldn't get enough of her – not only the physical aspects of this thing they had, but he enjoyed just spending time with her, talking to her; waking up next to her.

"How long were you staring at me, Harry, before I woke up?" she mumbled into his chest, placing a few kisses on it and smiled happily when his breath hitched.

"Oh, an hour or so," he answered in a matter-of-fact tone, smiling when he felt Hermione breath on his skin as she laughed. "It was very dull."

Hermione pulled away from him with a look of mock-annoyance on her face and she smacked him gently over his head. Harry tried to keep his expression straight, but was quite unable to as he let out short laugh of amusement.

"Stupid man, if you were bored, you simply should have woken me," Hermione declared with a roll of her eyes, but they sparkled with mischief. "I assure you, I am much more entertaining awake than asleep."

Harry smirked at that and swiftly pulled her close, their faces only an inch apart from each other. He saw Hermione's eyes widen with excitement and he glanced at her mouth, needing confirmation that it was already open, waiting for him to kiss her.

"I can imagine that you are," he murmured against her lips before he connected them to his own.

Hermione let out a moan, a sound he knew he would never tire of. Who knew that Hermione Granger could make sounds like that and that they would be such a turn on? He rolled her over on her back, running his hand down in between her breasts, over her stomach and then he snaked his arm around her, his mouth leaving hers in order to give the nipples that were already peaking some much deserved attention.

"Harry wait," Hermione gasped out and a mere second later Harry's eyes found hers – he was looking slightly confused. "Can you do the charm now so that we won't have to... pause to do it later?"

Harry smiled at that and dove for his wand on his nightstand and then dove back over Hermione when the charm was safely on her. When his body was perfectly molded against hers, he spent a little time just looking into her brown orbs. That look in her eyes that he hadn't been able to identify yesterday was back, and after what he had heard her whisper yesterday, he guessed that the look in her eyes could be nothing else other than the love she felt for him. It made his heart swell, knowing that someone loved him so much, that it wasn't only because he was famous that people wanted to be with him. But it scared him at the same time. Would Hermione except him to commit to her?

He shoved the thought away from his mind, choosing to ignore it at the moment. He broke their eye contact by kissing her softly – first on her lips, then her cheekbone, down to her neck and collarbone, and he gave her nipples equal attention before he worked his way down over her stomach. Hermione squirmed and moaned as he slowly but steadily made his way to the place she wanted to feel his mouth the most and when he finally got there her hips bucked involuntarily.

"Please, Harry," she mumbled softly, being unable to mask the need in her tone.

Harry's head snapped up, quickly replacing his tongue with his thumb.

"Please, what, Hermione?" he wondered as he placed a kiss on her stomach, never stopping his swift movements with his thumb.

"Please... Uuuugh, _yeeees_! Please, Harry, _more_!" she demanded with such urgency in her voice that Harry decided to put her out of her misery.

Placing hard his member at her entrance, he gently pushed himself inside of her and they simultaneously moaned in pleasure at the contact. For a second, Harry didn't move – he just wanted a moment and a chance to remember the feeling of her tight warmth forever. Then he slowly started moving in and out of her, loving the way she subconsciously clenched around him every now and then. He took a perked nipple into his mouth, sucked on it gently and was awarded with a long groan from Hermione. She started meeting his thrusts, wanting to feel him deeper inside of her. She _needed_ to feel more of him.

"Harder, Harry," she ground out in between pants, "harder, _pleeeease._"

Harry happily obliged, pounding into her with as much gusto he could muster this early in the morning, without being too rough with her to make her sore. He kept himself buried deep inside of her, barely pulling out, so that he could feel as much of her for as long as possible. Their eyes locked and as the night before, Harry was transfixed by the intensity of her stare. He quickly shut his eyes, hiding his sudden discomfort from her view by burying his face in her hair, letting out a moan into her neck. Hermione was clenching and unclenching her tight walls around him, and he knew that if she kept on doing this, he would not last long.

"Harry, make me come," Hermione whimpered, her nails digging into his back. "So close, so close, please Harry, please..."

After that, the sounds coming from her mouth were not coherent sentences. It turned to babble which Harry couldn't understand, something he took to mean that she was close. Real close. Giving it one last effort this early morning, he pushed harder, faster, loving every moan of pleasure that she managed to ground out. Suddenly, he felt her tense and as his eyes snapped up to her face, he saw her mouth drop open, as if she were about to scream out her ecstasy. But no sound came. Not until...

"Oh dear Merlin, YEEEES!"

A second later, Harry finally spilled his seed deep within her and a second later he collapsed on top of her, his breathing as heavy as his heart felt. Where the hell were they supposed to go from here?

HP * HP * HP * HP * HP

Hermione couldn't begin to understand why things had changed between her and Harry. She could barely even begin to imagine _how _things had changed. It wasn't as if the signs were obvious or clear, even to her. When they were together now, even if they were just hanging out (with or without other people), something just felt... off. Since Ron was the only one who knew about the stuff going on between them, Hermione understood that they couldn't show any signs of affection in public. It's not as if she could take offense, since technically they weren't a couple. But no matter if they were alone or with their friends, it was clear to Hermione that Harry was avoiding looking her directly in the eye.

She wondered if he regretted having sex with her, if he now felt uncomfortable around her for some reason that she couldn't understand. Whenever she asked if everything was alright, he answered that he was "fine". This did nothing to reassure Hermione, as she remembered Harry's constant use of the word during their school days when he had in fact been everything except fine.

He didn't mind further educating her in bed though. During sex it seemed as if Harry had no problem looking into her eyes; he even seemed to find more pleasure whenever their gazes connected. But whenever they weren't locked in a tight embrace of passion, Harry seemed distant. If she hadn't known him so well, she probably never would have noticed. And thus, four days after Hermione lost her virginity to Harry, she decided that it was time to confront him in order to get to the bottom of what was troubling him.

"Harry?"

They were in the middle of eating dinner. Ron was with Luna and their parents, going over the last details for the wedding, which was now only a week away.

"Yes?" Harry replied as he stabbed a potato with his fork.

He didn't look up at her, nor did he seem to notice the weird tone of her voice. Hermione looked at him for a moment and when he didn't pause his eating to wonder why she wasn't continuing, she laid down her cutlery and sat back against the backrest, merely watching him. He continued eating for quite some time, seemingly finding the food on his plate extremely fascinating. After two minutes, Harry finally noticed that Hermione was neither talking nor eating. His eyes flicked to hers.

"What?" he asked and the second Hermione shifted and opened her mouth to answer him, he shifted his gaze back to his plate.

Hermione's eyes narrowed; what in Merlin's name was going on?

"Seriously, Harry, what's going on with you?"

"I'm fine, Hermione."

"Ugh! I'm so tired of hearing that you're _fine_!" Hermione hissed as she shot from her chair, her sudden outburst making Harry jump. "You're _not_ fine, Harry!"

Harry looked up at her, his eyes flashing with an emotion she couldn't quite decipher.

"Who are you to tell me how I feel, huh?"

"For Merlin's sake, Harry! I've know you for the past ten years! There's no one in the entire _world_ that knows you better than I do! And if nothing else, can you please explain to me, if in fact nothing is wrong, why the hell you refuse to look at me?"

As if on cue, Harry's gaze shifted to something behind her, the muscles in his jaw working furiously.

"I look at you," he muttered, sounding quite childish in the process.

Hermione let out a humorless laugh as she started pacing back and forth. Harry fought the urge to meet her penetrating stare, even though that laughed had caused him to shiver involuntary in dread.

"Yes, you're quite right, I'm sorry," Hermione said, the sarcasm dripping from her voice. "I forgot for a moment. However, forgive me for thinking that it's strange and a pity that you only manage to look me in the eye when you're _fucking_ me."

Harry flinched back at her use of such a strong word; she never used words like that.

He had tried so very hard to keep his true feelings away from her. Apparently he hadn't done it well enough. They stared at each other for a moment – while Hermione's eyes conveyed how pissed off she was, Harry's told her that he was panicking. _Why, though?_ she thought.

"Harry, you need to talk to me," she said, her tone suddenly much softer as she gripped the backrest of the chair. "I can tell that something has been wrong, ever since... the night we had sex. Do you... regret it? Have I done something wrong?"

Deep down, she knew that he didn't regret it, since he only seemed remotely normal when they were tumbling around in the sack. She just couldn't understand why he was treating her so differently. Before they had had sex, Harry had been endearing and incredibly sweet whenever they had been alone. Had he suddenly decided that he had gotten what he wanted from her, and wanted out, and just didn't know how to break the news to her?

"No, I don't regret it... I... Hermione, can we _not_ do this?" Harry demanded, suddenly flustered.

"Harry, we _have_ to do this! Or would you simply prefer that we just act as if everything is okay between us? I can tell that things are downright weird and that you're doing something to alienate yourself from me. How can it _not_ bother you?"

Harry threw down his knife and fork on the table and slowly stood from the chair, his palms resting on the table.

"It _does_ bother me, Hermione. I just don't know what to tell you."

His tone was weary, even resigned. For the first time this evening, his eyes were firmly connected with her own and Hermione was slightly frightened by the almost sad look in them.

"How about the truth, Harry? I know something changed that night. Tell me."

Harry let out a deep sigh as he pondered the best way of telling her what was troubling him. _Might as well be blunt,_ he told himself. No matter how he told her, she would end up getting hurt.

"I heard you," he said simply and winced, bowing his head so that he didn't have to see the emotions on her face. "Afterwards. You probably thought I was asleep, 'cause I have a feeling you didn't want me to know."

Hermione felt as if someone just had poured a bucket of ice cold water over her. He was right; her words that night was nothing she wanted him to hear, not yet. She knew he wasn't ready to hear them, knew that he would probably end up acting... _Ah. _Everything made perfect sense now. She had known from the start that if he found out about her feelings, he would have trouble understanding how to act around her. She had just never thought that he would be so subtle about it.

"Al-alright, so you heard me," Hermione stuttered out, taking a deep breath to calm her racing heart. "Why does it bother you so much?"

"I don't know how to handle it," he answered quickly, as if he had known she would ask that question. "You weren't supposed to fall in love with me, Hermione. I told you I would be faithful to you for as long as we were doing this, but we're _not_ in a relationship. If I'd known you'd fall in love with, I wouldn't have allowed this happen in the first place. It's not..."

"Shut up for a moment, Harry, so that I get a chance to set you straight on one very important detail."

Harry's mouth snapped shut and then he tilted his head as he waited for her to continue.

"I did not fall in love with you because of you're great technique in bed," she started, rolling her eyes has she said it. "I'm not shallow or stupid enough to misplace lust with love, if that's what you think happened. Harry, when I told you I wanted you that night in the library, I didn't just mean sexually. I wanted _all_ of you. How could I not, when I've been in love with you for years?"

Harry flinched violently, his mouth dropping in shock as his eyes bulged. She had been in love with him for _years_? Oh, bloody hell...

"I didn't know the true extent of my feelings before we started this whole thing," Hermione continued. "I didn't allow myself to _feel_, because with the way you were living your life, I had to protect my heart. I don't think I really understood until the day after that entire debacle with the horde of women in Diagon Alley... Only then did I allow myself to ponder why it bothered me so much. My brain finally registered what my heart has been trying to tell me for years; that I love you and that I always will."

She took a deep breath as she collected her thoughts and looked at him for a moment. He hadn't even twitched since the truth had come out.

"I told Ron the next morning, and he wasn't even surprised. He said that it had been obvious, since he knew that I would never do anything sexually with a man I didn't love; my previous experiences with other men told him that much."

The mentioning of their friend caused Harry to snap out of his shock and he glared at her.

"Ron knew before I did?" he accused, not sure why this bothered him so much.

"You weren't supposed know at all! I thought you were asleep!"

"And why exactly did you want to keep this from me?" Harry demanded as his body jerked into action and he walked around the table, stopping when they were an arms length apart.

Hermione gave him an incredulous look filled with disbelief.

"You're joking, right?" she wondered, but Harry only raised an eyebrow. "Your behavior the last couple of days is why; I knew you wouldn't be able to handle it. I knew you weren't ready to hear it. And I would have kept it from you for as long as needed, until I thought you would be able to not freak out when I told you."

Fine, he could understand that line of thought well enough. However...

"If you were so keen on me not knowing, why even say out loud at all?"

Hermione shifted and her arms came up to hug herself protectively. She suddenly looked so vulnerable that Harry had to fight the urge to embrace her.

"I had to make it real," she whispered as she bowed her head. "As weird as it may sound, I felt as if I had to acknowledge my feelings, even if it was just to myself. Sex to me is the ultimate sign of love – which is probably why it's never worked with any other man – and saying it out loud... finally made my feelings _real_. I don't know if you understand at all, Harry, but I couldn't keep it in."

In truth, Harry couldn't understand. He understood lust and passion, but the love between a man and a woman was an unfamiliar concept to him. During the past years he had purposely sought to expel any form of emotions that could lead to him start caring about any of the women he had been with on a deeper level; he was with them for sex, something he had always been very clear about. He should have known it couldn't have been that simple with Hermione, because he had cared about her very deeply from the start; loved her even, although clearly not in the same way as she loved him.

"Where do we go from here, Hermione? You're in love with me," – he winced slightly when he said it, causing Hermione to narrow her eyes at him – "and while I'm sorry that I've been treating you differently, I can't forget... and I don't know how to stop treating you like this, because I feel uncomfortable around you..."

He looked ashamed after his confession, but just like everything else, it had to be said. Hermione had sucked her breath in, feeling shocked for the first time that night, and she staggered. Harry's hands shot out to her arms, keeping her from falling. Hermione wanted to shove him away, but suddenly she felt powerless and extremely tired.

"You're uncomfortable around me... unless we're completely naked in bed and we're doing wonderful things to each other," Hermione whispered, grabbing his arms the same way he was holding hers. "Then you really don't feel anything for me, just like you never felt anything for any of the others. Like them, I'm nothing to you."

"That's not true!" Harry hissed desperately, realizing that if this conversation didn't take an immediate turn right away, they would be over – not just their fling, but maybe even their friendship as well.

Hermione's heart had constricted painfully when the realization had hit her and now she was fighting back the tears that threatened to spill at any moment.

"No, you care for me like a friend," Hermione continued, her voice deprived of emotion. "The same way you care for Ginny, or..."

"Hermione, that's not _true_! You are the most important person in my life!"

Hermione just looked at him for a moment, wondering what was really going on in his head.

"I'm just not important enough."

Harry opened his mouth to protest and then shut it closed again when he realized what she meant. She thought that he felt that she wasn't important enough for him to want to change; not important enough to end the meaningless life of promiscuity that had been his reality since Voldemort's downfall; not important enough to take the risk with her. And he found that he had no idea how to respond to that.

He noticed the tears that silently started falling down Hermione's cheeks, his heart aching painfully as he felt the hold she had on his arms lessen. She shook his arms off of her and then she took one, two, three steps back from him before she finally turned and left the kitchen. His brain was screaming for him to call her back, but he let her leave. No matter how much it pained him, he let her go.

HP * HP * HP * HP * HP

George was sitting by himself if the apartment above the joke shop in Diagon Alley, mindlessly eating dinner when the silence was filled with a loud CRACK. He whipped around with his wand drawn, almost expecting some kind of enemy. He froze in shock. An enemy had been an unlikely scenario. This was even more unlikely. Why on earth was Hermione Granger standing in the middle of his living room, looking as if the bag on her shoulder contained everything she had ever owned, sobbing uncontrollably as if her best friend had just died?

"Hermione, are you alright?"

Stupid question, of course she wasn't alright.

"Is everyone else alright? Harry, Ron...?"

"Every-y-one is f-fine," the crying witch managed to get out and then she dropped the bag on the floor. "Can I have a h-hug, please?"

George scrambled up to her, his arms swiftly coming around her in a tight embrace. His mind was racing with questions, but for the moment he simply held her, giving her a chance to get everything out before he would try to get her to talk. He had no idea how long they stood there in the living room; he had no sense of time whatsoever, as his entire being was focused on the trembling woman in his arms, wondering and dreading what had happened to her. He loved her like a sister, and he hated seeing her in this state.

Finally, she took a step back. She was no longer crying, but George realized that her new expression scared him even more. It was completely devoid of emotion.

"Are you ready to talk to me now?" George asked softly, as he wiped the remaining tears of her cheeks. "Or would you like a bath and a cup of tea first?"

Hermione gave a half smile.

"Bath and tea would be nice," she whispered in reply.

An hour later, Hermione curled up on the couch, a cup of steaming hot tea in one hand. She looked refreshed, but she still had a haunted look in her eyes. George sat down by her feet and took her free hand in a gentle, but reassuring grip.

"Talk to me, Hermione. You scared the shit out of me when you popped in like that."

Hermione winced and shot him an apologetic glance.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to go to the Burrow..."

George squeezed her hand, effectively shutting her up.

"I didn't object to you coming here, Hermione. You're always welcome here, I've told you that a bunch of times. I'm just worried about you. I don't think I've ever seen you so upset."

And thus, Hermione told him everything. She told him about her disastrous attempts with other men, the bad blood between her and Harry, how she had realized that she fancied him, their fight that had ended up with Hermione slapping him in the face, the incident in the kitchen, how they had put their differences behind them and then started flirting, how they had started their... thing, the incident in Diagon Alley with the women, how she had finally realized that she was in love with him, their romantic evening in the library, her losing her virginity and how sweet Harry had been and finally, the last couple of days that culminated in the fight that had made her come here.

George simply stared at Hermione for quite some while when she was done speaking, trying to sort out all of the information he had just learned in his brain. Hermione was starting to get worried when he finally said;

"Do you want me to go punch him?"

Hermione really had no idea if he was serious or not.

"What?" she croaked out, her eyes widening. "No, I don't want you to go punch him. I was hoping that maybe I could take you up on that job offer and perhaps sleep on your couch until I've found my own place."

George's serious expression suddenly shifted, a huge smile softening his features.

"Of course! I was completely serious when I offered you to come work here; with your potion skills, you'd be a great asset to the shop," he said as pulled her to her feet. "Also, you're great company, so that is a bonus for me."

He winked at her as he said this, causing Hermione to let out a laugh. He dragged her into the kitchen and he pulled out a bottle of liquor and two shot glasses.

"I remember you said tequila was your favorite," he commented as he poured a a light brownish liquid into the glasses. "Ever tried a tequila añejo?"

Hermione simply shook her head and the next moment she was handed a glass.

"It's tequila that's been aged for at least a year," George explained. "This bottle cost me almost forty galleons."

Hermione's eyes bulged as she quickly converted the galleons to pounds – it was strange, but she had struggled with the wizarding money system from the start, so she kept a close watch on the exchange rate so that she could do math in her head whenever she needed to. And unless she was mistaken, she was about to drink from a bottle of tequila that had cost around 2700 pounds.

"George, are you sure you want me to drink this? It's awfully expensive."

George just smiled.

"Starting tomorrow morning, you're an employer of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, an employer that will have full confidence with everything; remind me to show you the bookkeeping and you'll never have to ask me a question like that every again. Besides, we need the good stuff when we are toasting."

Hermione regarded him for a moment and then just nodded once. She held up her glass in salute and then waited for George to say something.

"To Hermione Granger, who has so kindly agreed to come work with me; may the time ahead of us not leave us wanting to kill each other, and may it be prosperous and simply _smashing_."

Hermione snorted, but clinked her glass together with his and took a sip of the expensive tequila añejo, taking time to analyze the flavor. In essence, it reminded her of tequila, but it was so much more than that. It was smoky and rich, while smooth at the same time. It was very enjoyable.

"Oh, by the way, you're getting the bed, not the couch."

Hermione opened her mouth to protest, but George just shook his head.

"It's pointless to argue with me, Hermione. So do us both a favor and don't."

Hermione sighed, but did as he asked. Two hours later she laid in bed, her torso twisted towards the window. The blinds were still up and she could see the moon from where she was. She stared at it without really seeing it, as she was currently thinking about Harry. This separation was probably good for the both of them. She would see him again in a week, at Ron's wedding.

Too bad she already missed him terribly.


	12. Chapter 12

_AN: Gaaaah, so sorry for the long wait! Life really has been crazy the last year. I started working (after being a student for so many years) and that took some time to get used to. Then my fiancée and I moved into a new apartment (the exact same apartment my parents lived in as newly weds 32 years ago – freaky coincidence!), the planning for my June 9th wedding was crazy and then we were gone for our honeymoon until the end of July. And then, for some really stupid reason, I started studying full time (online) while working full time; I got so stressed out that I stopped eating and lost eight pounds in nine days. Now I've quit school... So now I finally have time to do the important things in life, such as writing my Harry Potter stories! _

HP * HP * HP * HP * HP

_This separation was probably good for the both of them. She would see him again in a week, at Ron's wedding. Too bad she already missed him terribly. _

Chapter Twelve

Hermione dove into work at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. The first day she spent with George and together they went through the inventory of the shop; if she was going to help develop new products, she must first know what already existed. Over the next coming days, George was going to divulge the secrets of all their products, but first she had to swear an oath to never to pass the information on.

"It's nothing personal," George said as he noticed Hermione's raised eyebrow, "and it's got nothing to do with trust issues. Fred and I took the oaths ourselves as well; we don't keep notes, Hermione, everything about our products is locked safely in my mind. The oath is just a precaution, so we can't go blabbing."

After she had taken the oath, Hermione was given the task of brewing a couple of simple solutions that were used as bases for the various products in the shop. It was easy work, but she knew she would have to know how to brew all of these potions by heart before George would let her do anything more challenging.

On the third day, Hermione let out a frustrated sigh. While she so far had no problem doing any of the tasks George had set her up with, the treacherous heart beating inside her chest was aching with longing. It was so strange that she no longer when to Grimmauld Place after work, felt so weird that she had neither spoken to or seen Harry Potter in three days. She could barely remember when she last had gone so long without being with him.

Her heart was not quite broken, merely chipped at the moment, since she had known from the start what not to expect from Harry – a true relationship. But it still hurt; it hurt to know that Harry didn't want to take a chance with her, it hurt that he hadn't stopped her from leaving and it hurt that he hadn't owled her or come to her since she had left.

She knew that Harry must know where she was – she had asked Ron to come by Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes the day after she had fled from Grimmauld Place and while she hadn't told him the whole story (she had told him a vague story about a fight and that she needed a break), she could tell that Ron knew that she was hiding something. He hadn't pressed her for answers though; while Ron was real insightful these days, but he still got uncomfortable when she started crying, and as soon as her eyes teared up, he had asked her how working for George was. Although she hadn't asked Ron to tell Harry where she was, she knew that he would be told; Ron had most likely apparated straight to Grimmauld Place to give him an earful and in the process told the boy-who-lived that she was staying with George and working for him.

Which was also most likely why he hadn't owled her; he knew she was safe, and Harry, still not being the best at handling fights, showing emotions or expressing his feelings, probably thought it smart to leave her alone for a while.

Hermione suddenly yelped when she splashed some of the potion she was brewing on her hand; the skin sizzled and she winced in pain, clenching her teeth together to keep from shouting.

"George!" she cried loud enough to be heard across the room and a second later, the redhead was standing next to her.

He frowned as he noticed the sizzle and smell of burnt skin and quickly leaned over the potion, taking a quick whiff of what she was brewing.

"Dammit, Hermione!" he growled and sprang over to the medicine cabinet, grabbing a large jar before dashing back to her. "Put your hand in, quickly!"

Hermione did as she was told; the content of the jar was a liquid with a bluish tint and smelled slightly of eucalyptus. Of course – it was Murtlap Essence. The icy potion felt good on her skin and asked George how long she should keep her hand in the jar. Instead of answering, George held up a finger to silence her.

"...eighteen, nineteen, twenty; hand out!" he ordered and then steered her over to the a stone basin filled with water. "Hand in!"

He then muttered a charm to keep the water swirling; after a moment he got rid of the water before he added new water, all the while it was still gently swirling. He repeated all of this a few times before gently drying her hand and whisked her off to the medicine cabinet. After grabbing a jar of healing cream, he gently rubbed it onto her skin. Hermione had watched his face during the entire process and couldn't understand why he looked so _angry_.

"Is there a special reason why you're not wearing the dragon hide gloves?" he demanded, his tone controlled and yet full of cold fury.

"They were too big," she answered lamely, "and in the way."

"So instead of asking me for a smaller pair, you decided to brew the base of all Skiving Snackboxes, which is highly poisonous, without protecting your hands?" he asked dangerously, his voice rising towards the end.

Hermione averted her eyes in shame and merely nodded once.

"What in Merlin's name were you thinking?" he yelled as he threw the healing cream back into the cabinet. "Do you have any idea what could have happened if I hadn't been here?"

Hermione shook her head, not daring to look at him. He let go of her arm and put two fingers under her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze; behind his furious expression, his eyes held genuine concern.

"Had it entered your blood system, it would have paralyzed you. You would have been unable to move, unable to shout for help... and then once it reached your brain, it would have forced that brilliant mind of yours to shut down – irreversibly."

Hermione's eyes widened in horror.

"How do you know this?" she wondered, knowing that this potion had been invented by the Weasley twins – in other words, there couldn't be any previous cases where this had happened...

Oh. No wonder he was so upset.

"Because it's already happened here once," George whispered, dropping his arms to his sides. "When Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes was new, we needed help. We hired a guy to help us with the simpler potions, such as this. We knew it was poisonous, but not to what degree..."

He took a deep breath before he launched into the story.

"The same night we went to pick up Harry at the Dursley's the last time, Darren had an accident here in the lab. Due to the complications of the endeavor, Mad-Eye dying, me loosing an ear, we didn't go back to the shop for three days. We're not sure what happened, but when we entered the lab, Darren was lying on the floor, motionless. There was a hole straight through his left arm the size of a Galleon and while his eyes were open and blinking, he wasn't responding to anything we did or said. We took him to St Mungo's where they could tell us that whatever had splashed on his skin had burned through skin, flesh and bone, and on it's way through him, it entered his bloodstream; the second that happened, he was paralyzed. He was in excruciating pain until it entered his brain, where it was immediately shut down."

Hermione's eyes were misted, as were George's.

"He's in the Janus Thickey ward. Fred and I were always hoping to be able to reverse the paralysis, but even if we had managed that, we never knew if his mind would be alright."

George took a deep breath to gather his thoughts.

"As a precaution, we had the base analyzed under strictest confidence, and the report stated to always have Essence of Murtlap in store and depending on how far the potion had gotten, bathe the hand in a certain amount of seconds. If the potion enters the bloodstream, we are to take the emergency portkey" – George showed her the gold necklace around his neck; the simple circle pendant had a red cross on it – "to Healer Burberry, no matter the time.

Hermione frowned.

"Why to a specific Healer?"

"Because there would never be enough time to explain what had happened and because Healer Burberry wouldn't hesitate to sever the affected limb, making sure the potion couldn't spread to the rest of the body."

Once again, Hermione's eyes bulged. She would never be able to thank Merlin enough for making sure that George had been there.

"Would that work?" she whispered, dreading the answer she knew would come.

"We don't know," George answered predictably. "But it's all we got."

The room was filled with a silence that made Hermione shiver. She understood George's anger – she could have shared Darren's fate – and she was angry with herself for putting herself in danger and for making George worry. She knew better; while brewing one was never allowed to think about anything expect the task at hand and Hermione had not only let her mind wander, she had completely focused on Harry instead!

"Hermione, this carelessness isn't like you," George suddenly said, his eyes holding suspicion. "What was on your mind?"

She didn't want to admit to him that she had been thinking about Harry. For a brief second she considered lying, but she knew she owed him the truth.

"I was thinking about..."

"... Harry," George finished for her, his eyes flashing in annoyance. "Hermione, I'm going to say... no, I'm going to _order_ you to do something you're not going to like, but at the moment, I don't really give a damn."

Hermione sighed deeply and braced herself for the worst.

"You're going to go home and take a long bath, have a sturdy lunch and then curl up on the couch with a book."

Hermione blinked, not quite comprehending what she wouldn't like about that. She liked baths. She was hungry. She loved books. What was the problem here?

"You're forcing me to take the rest of the day off?" she wondered, immediately thinking that that wouldn't be such a bad idea.

"No, I'm forcing you to take the rest of the _week_ off."

Oh. That was definitely worse. Sure, she could a day or two of relaxation... But several days?

"But, George..."

"No buts."

"George, listen..."

"No."

"_George_!" Hermione growled, stomping her foot in annoyance.

"Don't take that tone with me, missy! One more word from you and not only will you be off for the rest of the week, but I'll place you in front of the cash register for a week as well!"

Hermione opened her mouth to protest and then quickly clamped it shut again. She did not wish to be in the actual shop; it was always a madhouse. Leveling George with a glare, she let out a huff at his satisfied smile and whirled past him up to the apartment above the shop.

As soon as she had left, George's smile vanished. He had been holding back his fear of what could have happened, but now it hit him in the stomach with the strength of a Bludger.

He could have lost her today.

He loved her like a sister and the pain he felt at the thought of losing her caused him to stagger and fall to his knees. Gasping for air, he came to quick solution; either the base had to be altered or the one brewing had to be in full dragonhide gear. He was not going to lose someone so important to him because of a stupid potion.

HP * HP * HP * HP * HP

Harry felt lost. He couldn't understand the range of emotions he had been feeling since Hermione had taken off. At first he had felt guilty for causing her such despair, then anger since she had claimed to know what she was getting herself in to and then trying to force him to commit to her, then guilt again as he realized that she hadn't tried forcing him to do anything and then finally what he felt now; sadness and an overwhelming heartache.

First and foremost, he missed her. He couldn't deny that, even if he might have wanted to. At first, he had missed the obvious things; waking up next to her, hearing her voice, giving her pleasure... Then he had found himself missing the strangest things; the little noises she made while reading a book, the way she closed her eyes at her first sip of coffee in the mornings, getting kicked in the back while he slept (something she had managed to do every night since they started sharing a bed). He missed her scent, he missed the little giggle she emitted in bed when her shyness got the better of her and he missed holding her in his arms as they fell asleep.

He had worried about her when she had just disappeared, but he had doubted she wanted him to follow her, sure that she wanted to be left alone. The next day, Ron had surprised him by coming in before breakfast and had sent a stinging hex at Harry the moment their eyes had locked.

"Ow! Ron, what the hell?"

"I don't know what you did, Harry, but I warned you that if you ever hurt her, you would have to answer to me," Ron hissed, sounding angrier than Harry had ever heard him before. "Now, I don't have time to deal with you now, since I need to meet Luna at the Ministry in two minutes, but just..."

Ron broke off mid sentence, the look of pure anguish on Harry's face catching him off guard.

"Harry?"

He hadn't seen such painful expression on Harry's features since Sirius had died.

"Where... where is she?" he whispered, a begging tint to his voice that Ron couldn't ignore.

Ron frowned, more curious than ever at what had transpired between his two friends.

"She's at George's; starts working there today," he answered, noticing first the look of surprise in Harry's expression, which then turned to relief as he knew she at least was safe. "Please, Harry, you have to promise me something – don't go after her until you can say something that will make her feel better."

Harry nodded without saying a word and Ron left after gently patting him on the shoulder; the redhead had at least understood one important thing from their little chat – Harry was hurting, which meant that he cared more about Hermione than he probably knew himself.

Harry woke on the fourth morning of Hermione's departure feeling absolutely crappy. His sleep had been disturbed by troubled dreams that he couldn't remember now, but they had managed to give him a splitting headache. It was Thursday – only one day left to Friday and two days to Ron and Luna's wedding, a day he had looked forward to for months.

At the moment he didn't even care.

The silent morning was suddenly disturbed by a loud CRACK. Harry quickly sprang to his feet, grabbing his wand from the nightstand in the process.

"Merlin, no wonder she's so taken with you."

At hearing George's voice, he tossed his wand back on the nightstand and then hurriedly, but unbashfully, put his boxers on.

"Sorry, I sleep naked," he said as he turned towards the redhead.

"I noticed," came the gleeful reply.

"What are you doing here, George? In my bedroom?"

The redhead shrugged his shoulders.

"You weren't downstairs, so I figured this was where you would be."

Harry lifted an eyebrow as he waited for George to continue. He didn't, and that's when he noticed that the older wizard was still staring at his crotch.

"Oi, eyes up, if you please!" Harry growled, suddenly remembering that the redhead liked boys as much as girls.

Not that he really cared about being ogled by a man who, if the intense staring was anything to go by, probably found him attractive, but he was used to some privacy in his own bedroom.

"Sorry," George said quickly. "Get dressed and meet me in the kitchen. We need to talk."

Harry merely nodded and turned to get dressed the moment George left. He assumed he wanted to talk about Hermione. Entering the kitchen a few minutes later, Harry couldn't help smiling as Kreacher fussed over George; he had heard the elf muttering about missing Hermione and any other people he had met over the years. Harry gathered that the elf had gotten used to crowds by now and enjoyed serving them.

"Fine, if you insist I take a third piece of banana cream pie, I will, even though it's only seven thirty in the morning."

"How did you manage to eat two pieces before I got here?" Harry demanded, knowing full well that even Weasleys couldn't stuff that much sweet stuff into their mouths in such a short amount of time. "It's been less than two minutes."

"I ate those pieces before I apparated to your bedroom," George answered with a wink, as he gathered some of the delicious pie on his spoon and started devouring it.

Harry sat down and a few seconds later Kreacher served him his usual breakfast of coffee and a cheese sandwich.

"Thank you, Kreacher," he said warmly and the elf bowed in return. "So what do you want to talk about, George? Is Hermione okay?"

George's smile vanished and even his eyes grew serious.

"No, she's not okay. She could've gotten seriously hurt yesterday. She could have faced a fate worse than _death_ because she was thinking about you instead of concentrating on her work."

Harry flinched as if he had been slapped, spilling coffee over both the table and himself. He hissed in discomfort, apparently loud enough for Kreacher to hear him; the next second the elf appeared to clean up the mess.

"Master Harry should be more careful," Kreacher admonished him, pointing at him until Harry meekly nodded in return. "Kreacher will be back with a new cup."

Harry wanted to feel grateful, but at the moment he could feel nothing but dread.

"George... What happened?"

George told him everything, starting with Darren and then continued with what had transpired in the lab the day before. Harry sat in stunned silence, his horror growing for each passing minute. When the older wizard was done, they sat in silence for a full minute before the redhead asked Kreacher for another piece of pie. He slowly munched on the pie while he watched Harry process everything he had said. George had seen a wide range of Harry Potter's emotions and feelings over the years, so he knew how to read Harry's expressions. At least, he usually could. The look on the younger man's face was completely new and it made George's insides squirm. Harry's eyes were unblinking, empty of any emotion as the usual warmth was replaced with a blankness George couldn't describe; his mouth was slightly open, his breathing shallow. Had he gone into shock?

"Harry, look at me," George commanded, hoping to snap in out of his trance by using words instead of being forced to slap him.

For a moment nothing happened. Then Harry blinked a few times and a second later he closed his mouth as he met George's gaze.

"She's fine, Harry. Nothing happened to her," he tried to reassure him.

Harry wet his lips; his whole mouth was dry.

"Yes, but...," he croaked out before clearing his throat. "She could've..."

"Thankfully, I was there with her, Harry. She wouldn't have died," George said and then let out a sigh. "But then again, I suppose that if the potion _had _entered her bloodstream, that would have been a more humane option."

"Don't ever say that again!" Harry suddenly yelled, springing to his feet. "How can you even _say_ something like that?"

"Because I've gone to Darren every week for three _years_, Harry! Always wishing and hoping that something can be done to reverse the effects of a potion _I_ created! Do you have any idea what it feels like to be _directly _responsible for someone else's fate?"

Harry's eyes flashed with cold fury. Had George forgotten to whom he was speaking? George immediately knew what the boy who lived was thinking.

"No, Harry, you haven't been directly responsible for any of the people who were hurt or died in the war," the redhead said warily, wondering if maybe, just maybe, Harry would actually _listen_ this time. "Voldemort killed your parents, Bellatrix killed Sirius, Snape killed Dumbledore, hell, you weren't even responsible for _Voldemort's _death, Harry! _He _cast the Killing Curse, not you! None of those deaths were your fault!"

Harry opened his mouth to tell him he was wrong, but as he pondered George's words, he shut it again. For the first time in his life he stopped to think about what people had been trying to tell him for years, stopped to think about all the people that had died because of him. Yes, George was right about Harry himself not killing any of those people, but that didn't make him feel less guilty, nor did it hurt any less. However, all the people who had died had been a part of a war that really had started decades before he was even born and it was not his fault that fate had decided that only two boys would be able to defeat Voldemort, nor was it his fault that Voldemort had seen the half-blood as more of threat to him than the pure-blood.

It was not his fault that Voldemort had marked his own executioner.

Besides, if Neville had been chosen instead, many of the same people still might have died; his parents, Sirius and Remus still would've had an active part in the Order of Phoenix, and the cruel, pointless war might still have claimed their lives.

"Harry?"

George's worried voice snapped him out his thoughts and he met the redhead's wondering gaze.

"You're right," was all Harry said quietly, and a moment later he felt the weight of the world lift from his shoulders.

George gasped in shock at Harry's words; had he really just managed to say the right words at the right time to get it into Harry's thick skull that he wasn't to blame for the people lost in the war? Everyone Harry had ever known in the wizarding world had been trying to make him realize that since they had first known him! He watched Harry lick his lips and then open his mouth, hesitating for a mere second.

"It wasn't my fault," Harry whispered carefully, as if trying the unfamiliar words out.

George watched him in silence, giving Harry time to come to terms with this revelation. Finally, Harry glanced up at the redhead, his posture relaxing a little.

"George, has Hermione told you... everything?"

"Yes," came the simple reply. "I know about everything that has transpired between the two of you and I know that Hermione wanted it to happen because she loves you."

For once, Harry didn't flinch or wince at the word love. He merely looked at the other man as a thousand thoughts flitted in and out of his mind.

"Tell me, Harry, why does the notion of her loving you scare you so?" George asked out of the blue, pushing the empty plate away from him in order to lean closer to him.

"I don't know," Harry answered, suddenly being unable remember any of the reasons he had come up with before in answer to that question. "George, forgive me, but can I please ask you to bugger off? I need some time to think."

George smiled as he nodded, getting to his feet.

"I'm just a floo call away if you need me, Harry," the older man said, resting his hand on Harry's shoulder for a moment. "Remember, you're not alone."

Harry gave him a small smile in thanks, nodding his head to show that he understood. He stayed at the kitchen table for a long time after the redhead had left, contemplating everything from his life up until the events of the last couple of weeks.

Was he ready for a change?


	13. Chapter 13

_He stayed at the kitchen table for a long time after the redhead had left, contemplating everything from his life up until the events of the last couple of weeks._

Was he ready for a change?

Chapter Thirteen

Hermione gave her reflection a critical look as she carefully smoothed down a few wrinkles on her bridesmaid robes. Actually, you couldn't really call it robes; Luna had, despite her future mother-in-law's wishes, opted for muggle bridesmaids dresses for her and Ginny. For some reason, the sometimes slightly flaky young woman was crazy about spaghetti straps and all three of them would be wearing dresses with ultra thin spaghetti straps. Ginny and Hermione both wore fancy summer cocktail dresses in satin and chiffon, the straps crossing over their backs.

Instead of a set color theme, Luna had chosen the colors after the flowers she had in her bouquet. The main flower was a strange looking thing with vivid colors of orange, purple, green and red. The Bird of Paradise was a perfect fit for the eccentric Luna Lovegood, who had claimed in her dreamy voice that the flower long ago had been a real paradise bird which had been bewitched into its current state by a South African tribe that had grown tired of its never ending squeaking. Hermione had held her mouth shut, but had inwardly rolled her eyes. However, she could not deny the flowers uncanny resemblance to the head of a bird.

In accordance with the color themes the flower had given them, the girls were in royal purple, while Hermione knew the boys would have orange details to their garb. She wondered how the orange would go with Harry's green eyes...

Hermione squirmed in her dress as she shook her head, feeling very uncomfortable all of the sudden. Was he wondering what she was looking like? Oh, Merlin, what if he didn't care? What if he didn't look at her at all?

"Hermione, stop," Ginny suddenly said, very softly. "I know you don't like showing off so much skin, but if you keep shifting like that people will probably just end up seeing even more of you."

Obviously Ginny had no idea why she was so nervous. But now that the younger witch had pointed it out, she was suddenly very aware of how little she was wearing. Well, at least Harry would notice her then... _Hermione, STOP!_ she mentally yelled at herself. _Get a fucking grip of yourself, not everything you do, say or wear has to be about Harry Potter!_

"Is Luna back from the bathroom yet?" Hermione asked in an attempt to get rid of the boy who lived from her mind.

"No, I think she might have gone out to make sure that Ron hasn't fainted yet," Ginny answered with a smirk before she excused herself to use the loo.

Hermione cringed, but had once again managed not to express her concern about the groom seeing the bride before the wedding. When she had told the wedding party about this muggle ritual a few weeks back, everyone except Harry had looked at her as if she had grown an extra head. Even Luna had thought this superstition was too weird. No matter, but if Hermione ever got married herself, she knew that this was one of many muggle wedding traditions she would hold on to.

"I can happily announce that Ron is still standing, but I think we have Harry and George to thank for that. He looked ready to collapse."

Luna's voice woke Hermione from her daydreaming and she caught the younger woman's gaze; the blue eyes were full of amusement and mirth. They shared a smile and then Luna took a deep breath to gather her nerves. She was excellent at hiding her feelings, but Hermione knew she was nervous, even if it was just a little. Like any other bride, she wanted this day to be perfect. This day was any woman's one chance to feel like a princess.

The Ravenclaw certainly looked like a fairytale princess. Her dress was simple, but the skirt was big and fluffy and looked amazingly soft. The bodice had a tight fit without being a corset, and without the spaghetti straps holding it up, the men certainly would have something to stare at. But Luna had tightened the straps to the point where her cleavage was barely there. Ginny and Hermione had magically curled Luna's hair, which was so long that the soft curls covered most of her back. Aunt Muriel had been kind enough to offer to lend her tiara to Luna, the same tiara Fleur had worn at her wedding, but Luna had declined; she wanted to wear her mother's veil, and only her mother's veil. This also meant that the bride was wearing absolutely no jewelery except her engagement ring.

"You are so beautiful, Luna," Hermione said softly, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you," the other woman answered, her lower lip trembling slightly. "I just wish my mother could have seen me."

Her voice was thick with emotion and Hermione's heart squeezed in sympathy for the woman who had lost her mother at such a young age. She couldn't even imagine how Luna felt at this moment. It was her wedding day... and her mother wasn't there to enjoy it with her.

"I'm sure she's watching," Hermione finally whispered, hoping it didn't sound like a stupid cliché.

Luna's eyes watered with unshed tears as she nodded and then held her arms out, clearly wanting someone to comfort her. Hermione wrapped her arms around the lithe witch and held her as close as she could without denting the fluff of the dress. The two friends stood like that for a moment, before Luna sniffled and stepped back, giving Hermione a loop sided little smile as she did so.

"No more tears," the blond said resolutely. "Mother wouldn't like it. Unless they're tears of joy, of course. She always used to say that tears of joy on the dress gave more luck than rain."

Hermione merely smiled and nodded in agreement, but on the inside she felt like screaming; of all the crazy superstitions the muggle world had about weddings, it seemed like only the most stupid one had managed to cross over to the magical world.

"Ladies, mum just said that we have five minutes before the music starts," Ginny announced briskly as she entered the room. "Let's make sure that our beautiful bride here... Luna, have you been crying?"

"Yes, but I am done now."

It looked like Ginny wanted to inquire why the bride had been crying so closely before the wedding was set to start, but as she caught Hermione's warning look, she merely bit her lip and nodded.

"Right, let's just quickly fix your makeup then before we grab our flowers and go downstairs."

Hermione stepped back and let Ginny do her magic in peace. Looking out the window she noticed the lawn in front of the Burrow was crowded with people being ushered to their seats. Hermione's heart suddenly skipped a beat as she saw a messy haired young man lead a Weasley cousin to her seat. Harry bowed over her hand as he had been instructed to and then let her hand go. Turning on his heal, he missed the cousin staring after him in awe. Harry didn't spare her a second glance, even though Hermione remembered this girl to be very attractive. When he disappeared from her view, she turned back to her friends, emitting a soft sigh. Ginny had just finished with Luna and was now gussying up herself.

"Hermione, come here," Ginny commanded, a brush and a small jar of lip gloss in hand.

She knew better than to do anything but obey and Hermione parted her lips slightly as she allowed the redhead to paint her lips pink. When she was done, Ginny leaned backwards a little, gave Hermione a look over and then she nodded and smiled, clearly satisfied with the way the older witch looked.

"Are you ready, girls?"

Molly Weasley's voice wasn't nearly as frantic as it had been during Bill and Fleur's wedding. If it wasn't for the slightly wild look in the woman's eyes, she would have convinced Hermione that she was completely calm and composed.

Ginny handed Hermione her flowers, checked both her and Luna over before promptly answering her mother in the affirmative. Hermione couldn't help thinking that the youngest Weasley was a natural born leader... Then she shook her head to clear her mind, knowing she had to start focusing on the task at hand as she followed Ginny down the stairs. Molly scurried off to find her seat while Luna placed her arms around her two bridesmaids as best she could.

"Love you, guys," the Ravenclaw murmured, loosing the dreamy quality of her voice for a moment, "and thank you for being here."

"Love you too, Luna," Hermione and Ginny answered simultaneously, patting her gently on the back.

They heard the music start and that was their cue to enter. Ginny went first, and after Hermione had counted to fifteen she flashed Luna a last encouraging smile before she glided outside.

Immediately she was forced straight into battle with herself; her heart wanted to seek out Harry but her brain didn't agree. She kept her gaze on the path until she reached the first row of seats and she allowed herself only to look and smile at the guests, not up front to where she knew Harry was. She recognized most of the people present – most of their Hogwarts friends were there, all surviving members of the Order of the Phoenix and various Weasley relatives. There was a group of young men and women on Ron's side that Hermione didn't recognize, but she assumed they were friends from the Auror Academy.

As she got closer and closer to the boys up front, Hermione was fighting very hard not to panic. She had to look at them sooner or later, had to meet _his_ eyes sooner or later, but she was terrified of what she would find herself looking into. Would there be lingering anger? Sadness? Happiness? Or would she just see indifference?

Hermione took a deep breath as she gathered her Gryffindor courage and then her gaze shifted up front; first to Ron, who was smiling at her as he gave her wink and then her eyes swept over to the man she wanted to see more than anything else.

He was staring at her openly, his eyes round and honest as he drank in the sight of her beauty. As their gazes connected, Hermione felt a jolt go through her as she noticed the expression in the green orbs staring back at her; pure, unhidden happiness. She offered him an uncertain smile and the corners of his mouth went up slightly. It was not his usual grin, the one that conveyed that he didn't have a care in the world.

This little smile came from a man who had grown.

As Hermione took her place next to Ginny, she tried not to frown as she pondered what had happened to Harry during the last couple of days. There was something in his demeanor that told her something had changed, but she had no idea how he had changed or if it was for better or worse. She blinked rapidly, pushing her pondering and her questions to the back of her mind; she would have time to think about this after the wedding ceremony. And she would undoubtedly have time to talk to the man himself afterwards too.

The ceremony was not very long. Unlike in the muggle world, a wizarding wedding ceremony usually didn't contain much more than the actual bonding. Hermione knew that if and when she got married, she would have to have two weddings; one for the world she actually lived in and another for the world from where she had once come. It was impossible for her to have just one. Her parents would never forgive her if she decided to forsake this muggle tradition for the simple reason that none of their relatives would be able to attend, since no one knew she was a witch. And if she got married to a wizard, Hermione knew their magic would have to be bonded in order for their lives to be truly prosperous, so a muggle wedding wouldn't be enough.

Hermione tried not to steal too many glances at Harry during the ceremony. More often than not she could feel his eyes on her and she couldn't stop fidgeting.

"Hermione, please stand still!" Ginny suddenly hissed quietly behind her. "You're making me nervous!"

Hermione forced herself lock her knees and she stiffened her back. She knew from the other wizarding weddings she had witnessed that they only had a few more minutes to go.

"Ronald, Luna, the time has come for you to make your joint promise to each other," the officiate said. "Please turn towards each other."

They did as instructed before the officiate told Ron to hold out his left hand, palm up; Luna placed her right hand on top of his, palm down. The officiate then proceeded to wrap a satin ribbon around their hands and after he had murmured something under his breath, the ribbon emitted a soft, golden glow. This was the bridal couple's cue.

"Together we stand, two separate entities with a common purpose and longing. Tonight, two become one, as we are united to be each others beacon of light, each others hope and each others love."

Ron and Luna spoke in perfect sync, their soft voices carrying through all the way to the back row.

"Our promise is such, that we will strive to make the other happy and as long as we succeed, we shall want for nothing."

Hermione could swear the satin ribbon was pulsating now – she had never been close enough to notice it before.

"Ronald, you are my heart and my soul and I promise to love and cherish you, to the end of my days."

"Luna, you are my heart and my soul and with every waking breath I promise to love you and cherish you, to the end of my days."

"So mote it be," they finished together and a second later the satin ribbon erupted in a purple flame as the magic bound them together as husband and wife.

"What magic has bound, may no mortal break," the officiate finished and then gave them an encouraging smile. "You may now kiss the bride."

Ron grinned and the crowd laughed as Luna muttered out an impatient "Finally!" and then he wrapped his arms around her, pressing his lips against hers gently before he picked her arm and twirled her around. Luna let out a shriek of happiness and their guests cheered and clapped their hands. Hermione exchanged a goofy smile with Ginny before risking a glance at Harry; he was laughing and clapping like everyone else, but in his eyes she noticed a spark she'd never seen before. He looked much more... _alive_ and happy than she'd ever seen him do before. What in Merlin's name had happened to him in the last couple of days?

It was as if he was a completely new Harry James Potter.

* HP * HP * HP *

Harry shifted from one foot to the other while he contemplated how to approach Hermione. His eyes followed her as she greeted their friends and the Weasley clan, completely content with just being able to look at her. He smiled when she laughed at something Dean said, curious to know why she had hit him so playfully.

Ever since George had left him alone in the kitchen, his mind hadn't given him a moment of peace. His head was so full of thoughts and ideas and conclusions that he felt as if his brain would explode if he didn't let some of them out soon.

"Why do I get the feeling that you're hiding?"

Harry jumped in surprise at hearing George's voice so closely behind him. He hated that meaningful stare the redhead was bestowing him, as if he was privy to all of Harry's secrets now... George might have gotten through to him in a way no one had before, but that was it.

"I'm not hiding, per say," Harry said as he stuck his hands in his pockets. "I just don't know how to approach her... It didn't end well, last time we saw each other."

"I understand your predicament, Harry," George said and offered him a sympathetic slap on the shoulder. "But I think you don't have to do much more than go up to her and say hello. And I don't know, maybe apologize for being a prat."

Harry eyed him warily and slumped his shoulders.

"See, that's the problem. I'm rubbish at apologizing; usually I just end up making things ten times worse."

George snorted at that, knowing that the boy who lived was making a very valid point. Still, how much worse could it get at this point?

"Harry, believe me, unless you tell her that it was all her fault, you can't possibly make things worse. As long as you're really sorry and can explain your words and actions, you will be fine."

Harry gave the redhead a doubtful look, but chose not to reply. It was a pointless conversation, since George could say nothing to make him feel better about the situation. Finally, he simply nodded.

"Alright then... Wish me luck."

And with that he started making his way over to Hermione, who was currently talking to Parvati and Lavender. Harry cringed when he noticed that the Indian girl saw him coming over, immediately straightening out her back as she lifted her chin slightly and plastered what she probably considered to be an alluring smile on her features.

"Hi, Harry!" she greeted him jovially, batting her eyelashes at him. "How are you doing on this fine day?"

Hermione, who had her back against him and had not seen him coming, instantly stiffened.

"Quite well, thank you, Parvati. And how are you three lovely ladies?" he wondered as he came to a stop in between Lavender and Hermione.

He was standing so close to her that he could feel the heat radiating from her skin.

"I am very well," Lavender said first and gave him a smile. "You look dashing in those robes, Harry. Love the orange tie and trimmings!"

Harry just smiled, while he tried to pay attention to Parvati's answer – it was extremely difficult when he was in such close proximity to Hermione. When Parvati had stopped talking, he finally turned to Hermione, who was staring at the ground below her feet.

"And how are you... Hermione?" he asked softly.

It took a few seconds for her to answer. Harry glanced at the other two girls to see if they noticed that something was off with Hermione, but they had started talking about something that had their full attention.

"I'm okay," she finally answered, her eyes hesitantly coming up to meet his.

She looked confused, and Harry couldn't say that he blamed her.

"Hermione... can I speak with you in private for a second?"

Great, now she looked torn instead. He had to bite down on his lip in order to prevent himself from haughtily pointing out that he just wanted to _talk_. Nothing more. He waited patiently while she seemed to seriously consider whether or not to comply with his wish. Again, Harry couldn't blame her for her obvious unwillingness to go with him, but it hurt nonetheless.

"Hermione... Please?"

The sound of his desperate plead made Hermione jump into action. She gave a brisk nod and then whirled around, marching away towards the house.

"See you later, ladies," Harry murmured as he took off after Hermione, who had stopped right inside the door to the Burrow and was waiting for him with her arms crossed over her chest.

She was already ready to defend herself and he hadn't even opened his mouth yet. For a moment, he just stared at her; even in anger, she was beautiful. And just three days ago, he could've lost her forever. The thought made his heart clench painfully.

"I can't tell you how happy I am that you're okay," he whispered, not trusting himself to be able to manage to keep his voice steady if he spoke normally.

Hermione frowned, not understanding why he sounded and looked like he was about to break down in tears. Sure, they had fought and while she wasn't okay with it, Harry seemed to have reason to believe that she might have been harmed in a different...

Oh.

She _had_ been harmed in a different way and as she saw his eyes flicker to the burn mark on her arm, she instantly felt betrayed; George had had no right to tell Harry about the incident in the lab!

"I can't believe George told you about that!" she hissed, suddenly seething mad. "You're not my boyfriend or my next of kin, and besides, _nothing happened_!"

She had stomped her foot to emphasize that nothing had happened, instantly regretting it; who knew how much force her new heels could take?

"But something could have happened, Hermione," Harry said calmly, even though his heart was racing at the mere thought. "And whether or not you choose to accept it, you were careless because you were thinking of me."

"I was not!" Hermione immediately gasped out indignantly.

"Right, so you're saying that you weren't paying attention to the potion because you were thinking about another guy that recently broke your heart?"

Hermione opened her mouth to retort; then she realized what he had said and quickly closed her mouth again. He was admitting to breaking her heart... But that wasn't what had caught her attention. It was the tone of complete self loathing that made her pause, that made her truly look at him. And that's when she saw it; Harry Potter was hurting. A lot more than she had expected him to.

"Harry... Are you okay?" she questioned, momentarily forgetting her anger as her love for this man forced her into protective mode.

She watched him wince as he stuffed his hands into his pockets; she frowned, wondering what in Merlin's name was going on in his mind. Suddenly he looked like a frightened little boy, a look she had never seen on him before. She couldn't remember ever seeing Harry Potter scared.

"I've... had a lot to think about the last couple of days," he finally said, eyes lifting up to meet hers. "I'm not okay... Just the thought of what could have happened to you sends me into a state of pure panic. I can't imagine life without you, Hermione."

Hermione's eyes widened slightly at that admission, but she said nothing as she continued watching him intently. She refused to get her hopes up; he could just as easily mean that life without her friendship was unimaginable.

"George made me realize something the other today – something you all have been trying to tell me for years – but my stubborn, idiotic brain has refused to accept it; I am not responsible for the lives lost in the war. Their deaths was not my fault."

Of all the things she might have expected him to say, this hadn't even been a possibility in her wildest dreams. Her jaw dropped in shock, wondering if she had heard his whispered words correctly. _George has managed to do the impossible?_ Hermione's mind screamed. How? What in Merlin's name had the redhead said to finally make Harry Potter understand that he wasn't to blame for any of the lives claimed by the war?

Despite her broken heart, her hurt and her anger, Hermione closed the gap between them with a few stumbling steps and gently wrapped her arms around her best friend. Harry let out a strangled gasp of surprise and after a moments hesitation he accepted her lithe form into his embrace, closing his eyes as he relished the feeling of having her so close. She felt, rather than heard his long, deep breath of – dare she say it – contentment, as he buried his nose in the nape of her neck.

For quite some time, all they did was hold each other. Neither wanted to break this enchanted moment and face reality. No, what they really wanted was to stay like this for as long as they could, preferably forever. But in order to do that, they first needed to talk; talk about Harry's new found revelation, talk about them... Talk about where they were heading now. Knowing this, Hermione finally pulled back from him and placed her outstretched arms on his shoulders, her eyebrows furrowed as she wondered how Harry finally had managed to accept that he did not carry the weight of the dead on his shoulders.

"I can't explain it," Harry said, reading the question in her eyes, taking a few steps back to sit down on the little stool the Weasley's kept in the hall. "The way George spoke about Darren and how he felt responsible made me mad – I think I even thought 'have you bloody well forgotten who the hell you're speaking to?' – and the way he looked at me... the way he spoke, made me pause and think."

He wrung his hands together and paused to gather his thoughts.

"Somehow, I realized that my parents, along with Sirius and Remus, would have been members of the Order and would have fought for the Light, even if the prophecy hadn't been made; even if Voldemort hadn't chosen me. Meaning that they still very well could have died even if Neville had been chosen instead of me. They were involved in this war on their own free will because they were fighting for a cause they believed in and not because of some stupid obligation to me... and most importantly, they didn't die because of me – they were killed by insane psychopaths who wanted to ruin their world."

Taking a deep breath, he finally raised his gaze to lock with Hermione's. Her head was tilted, her eyes slightly narrowed; two sure signs that she was listening intently.

"When I had realized this and had had some time to process it... No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't remember why I felt the way I did about relationships and commitment... and love. I thought back on our last dinner and was completely horrified at how I felt when I overheard your whispered proclamation of love, because really, what is there to fear when it comes to love? It's the one thing that saved me from Voldemort!"

Hermione's breath caught at the passion in Harry's voice and the wild look in eyes. She waited patiently for him to continue, desperate to hear the last of his tale. She had a feeling, an inkling of hope, that no matter where he was going with this that it would end well... and in her favor.

"And then I realized that I don't have anything to fear when it comes to love," Harry continued softly. "It was never about being afraid of being in a committed relationship; I never feared love in itself. It's taken a lot of thinking and analyzing, but I realized that..."

He trailed off uncertainly; suddenly he looked like the eleven year old boy Hermione had met on the Hogwarts Express so many years ago. Her heart squeezed and she suppressed the overwhelming urge to reach out and touch him.

"... I realized that I have felt unworthy of love."

Hermione's jaw dropped; she wanted to scold him for saying such things and tell him how wrong he was. But she didn't say a word – she wanted to hear his reasoning, and besides, she was way to shocked to even formulate a coherent thought, let alone a whole sentence.

"It's actually not that farfetched, at least not in my mind," Harry continued, sounding and looking a little amused as he caught the furious expression on her face. "Hermione, I have felt responsible for so many people who died in the war; my parents, Cedric, Sirius, Remus, Tonks, Fred... Even Snape, for Merlin's sake! I was so certain that none of these people would have died if they hadn't known or cared for me. And tell me this, do you believe that a person with so many deaths on his conscience, should he be allowed to live happily ever after in a normal life, with the love from a special someone and all of his friends?"

Hermione recognized this as a rhetorical question and wisely chose not to comment. Every cell in her body was screaming at her to assure him that yes, of course someone like that, _someone like him_, was still worthy of love.

"I truly believe that I thought that I wasn't allowed to. I never knew that's why I loathed the idea of love so much; I didn't have a clue that it wasn't _love_ I loathed... I loathed _myself_ and took for granted that everyone around me deep down loathed me too, for being responsible for so many deaths, even if they never told me that."

Here he paused; he took a moment to simply gauge her reaction to his words. The furious expression told him that she wanted to argue with him, but so far she had managed to stay quiet.

"I know now that I could never love anyone else, before I came to terms with the fact that not everything that happened during the war was my fault; I'm not saying that I'm guiltless, because I'm not... But I don't have sole responsibility for _everything._ And I'm going to sound like a walking cliche now, but Hermione... I could never love you wholly and fully before I could love myself. And I couldn't love myself until I faced my guilty conscience."

Once again, Hermione's jaw dropped in surprise. He could never love her _wholly and fully_ before he could himself? But that sounded as if... as if he already loved her. Harry gave her an affectionate smile.

"Yes, Hermione. I _do_ love you. Of course I love you; how could I not? You've been such an important part of my life for so long. You're the smartest, sweetest, most beautiful woman I've never known and you're my best friend. _Of course _I love you. But..."

Hermione, who had been unable to stop her growing smile, suddenly felt her heart stop with that one little word. No, no, no, there was a but?

"But I don't know yet if I'm in love with you. I don't... I haven't... Hermione, you have to remember that I haven't had much love, any kind of love, in my life; in many ways I'm a beginner when it comes to it, but I'm still hoping... I just..."

The poor man trailed off as he struggled to find the right words. Hermione's heart squeezed in sympathy as she quietly cursed the Dursleys for their inability to love and care for Harry.

"I was hoping you might be patient with me... Because I want to... If you'll still have me..."

As Harry continued to struggle to find the right words, his voice becoming smaller and smaller as his confidence fell, Hermione frowned; was she really understanding this correctly? It sounded like he wanted to start a relationship with her... Could that really be what he was trying to say?

"Harry, do you still want me?" she asked in clarification.

The boy who lived jumped at the sound of her voice; he had done the talking in the last ten minutes and he had not expected her to say anything quite yet. Their eyes connected and Harry's breath hitched when he saw the same emotion he had seen shine from her eyes so many times before; the one he had been unable to identify. Now he knew that what he must be seeing was the love she felt for him and while this would have filled him with dread before, now only made him feel... elated. Special. Chosen.

"Yes, Hermione," he said softly. "I want you in every sense of the word. And if you'll still have me, I'm asking you to be patient with me so that I can understand my feelings for you in my own time. Please, no pressure."

"_If _I'll still have you?" Hermione repeated, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly. "Do you really think that a few days will so completely alter my feelings for you?"

"Well, I don't know... I just didn't want to take anything for granted and–"

"Harry, shut up for Merlin's sake and come kiss me!"

Harry snapped his mouth shut and quickly got to his feet. He didn't rush over to her immediately, but took his time to take in her appearance; her flushed cheeks and her heavily heaving chest caused by her shallow breathing... Her body was already anticipating his kiss and he felt a rush of excitement; no one had ever reacted to him the way she did and he was loving every second of it.

As he made his over to her, Hermione could no longer contain herself; she met him halfway and threw her arms around his neck, molding her body against his as his lips met hers in the most passionate kiss of her life. Harry palms were firmly placed on her back, pulling her closer; and yet, he felt as if she wasn't close enough. Their tongues met and they let out simultaneous moans, a delicious sound in the otherwise silent room.

"Harry, mate, are you in– WOAH!"

George's voice broke the couple apart with a start and they both jumped back from each other like they had been caught doing something forbidden. Turning to George, Hermione's cheeks red from embarrassment, she lifted an eyebrow in question as to what he wanted.

"Sorry, you guys... I didn't know that I was walking in on such a... private moment," the redhead said, sounding slightly sheepish. "It's just that you have to make your toasts before anyone can start eating."

The boy who lived just nodded and then George wisely scampered off to give the couple another chance at their private moment. Harry and Hermione simply stared at each other; there was so much they wanted and needed to say, but they knew this was not the time for it. Thus, Harry offered her a small smile and reached for her hand, placing a gentle kiss on her palm. Hermione shivered and returned his smile with a happy grin. They both knew that they would speak about everything later on that night; once Ron and Luna had left for their honeymoon, the best man and the maid of honor would be free to do whatever they wanted during the rest of the celebration. They would be free to leave behind all others in order to work out their problems and start anew.

And most importantly, they would be free to explore the concept of what it would mean to love each other.

_AN: Hope that was alright; almost done with this story now. I'm rounding off with an epilogue, which I was smart enough to finish before I published this chapter; meaning, you won't be waiting long! _


	14. Chapter 14

AN: Okay, I made you all wait a little anyway, but I realized that if I published the epilogue I had written first, you would all have been outraged and had been after my blood. In other words, I had some rewriting to do before I dared publishing this...

HP * HP * HP * HP * HP

_And most importantly, they would be free to explore the concept of what it would mean to love each other. _

Epilogue

Hermione Granger stood staring out the window in the library of number twelve Grimmuald Place. This was usually the one place her boyfriend was smart enough to leave her alone, understanding that the home of books was where she found comfort and solitude. She had spent a lot of time in here the past few days, mulling over the situation she had come to understand a few days ago; it had her very agitated and she had to look at it from every possible angle.

A year had passed since the wedding; Ron and Luna were celebrating their first wedding anniversary this very evening at a fancy restaurant that Harry had managed to get them last minute reservations to. The boy who lived seldom used his fame to get things, but when Ron had come to him in pure panic a few days ago, Harry had pulled some strings to make sure his friends had the type of celebration they wanted and deserved.

They would be leaving their son with his grandparents.

Lysander Weasley was three months old and had been conceived two day into the the newly weds' honeymoon. He was a Weasley to the core except for one rather startling thing; he was the first Weasley in four generations to not have bright, red hair. Sure, there was a red tint to it in certain lights, but Lysander was certainly more blond than red. George had quickly picked up on this and had jokingly demanded to know who the real father was, earning him a glare from his brother and slap over the head from his mother.

While Ron had been terrified at the mere idea of becoming a father, Luna had taken the pregnancy to heart and had seen it for what it was; a blessing and a welcome, however early, addition to their family. It had been Harry who finally managed to calm Ron down, simply by reminding him that he would have a little Quidditch player in a few years. Ron's eyes had immediately brightened and without further ado he had placed his ear on Luna's stomach – even though she wouldn't start showing for another couple of months.

On the day of Lysander's birth, Ron and Luna had asked Harry and Hermione to be his godparents. Ron had asked Harry, a completely serious and honest expression on his face; "will you be my son's Sirius?" Harry had looked dumbfounded, but had regained his wit well before Hermione had to elbow him in his side. The two young men had stood staring at each other for a little while, and to Hermione it looked like they were having a silent conversation; their eyes were strangely watery and once Harry had let out a strangled "of course", they had shared a long hug which had then ended with a manly grunt and slap on each others backs before they quickly turned from each other to wipe their eyes.

Apart from a few minor bumps along the road, Harry and Hermione's relationship was blossoming. It had taken Harry several months to admit to both himself and his girlfriend that he truly was in love with her, but as promised, Hermione hadn't put any pressure on him. Those three little words she had whispered on that fateful night had not been uttered again; not until Harry one night had gently whispered those same words into her ear as they lay closely together on the bed. Hermione had turned around and asked him if he was sure. Harry's eyes had shone with a happiness that was too evident to make her think otherwise and they had spent most of the night awake, alternating between making love and having hushed conversations about life. 

Harry was a wonderful godfather, not only to Lysander but to Teddy Lupin as well. Now that he was a tad more settled down than before, Andromeda Tonks was allowing him to take on a more active role in Teddy's upbringing. Hermione had always known that Harry would be wonderful with children, since he would get to lavish them with everything he himself had missed out on as a child. He would spend hours playing and reading with Teddy, and he would contentedly sit and watch the telly with a sleeping Lysander in his arms, not minding in the least that his arms would get sore or stiff.

Hermione had thought about it many times, but had so far not dared broach the subject – the simple truth was that Harry would be the most wonderful and loving father in the world. She had never really felt that kids were a big must for her to be content in life, but seeing Harry with Teddy and Lysander had changed her opinion drastically and irrevocably. Raising children with Harry would be amazing and something she was starting to look forward to. Long for, even.

However, she didn't think that Harry was ready yet. She doubted that he already would want the responsibility of raising his own children, when only a year ago he had flounced around without a care in the world. They were still getting to know each other as girlfriend and boyfriend and while Harry didn't seem to miss his old lifestyle, it was still too close in time for Hermione's comfort. She was still expecting him to one day grow tired of her and leaving her... But that said more about the image she had of herself than her trust in Harry.

A floorboard creaked behind her, announcing that Harry had stepped in to the room. She stiffened, waiting for him to say something, but didn't turn around. For a moment he remained silent. He simply came up behind her and and pulled her flush against his body. This did not make her relax.

"Hermione, love... What's wrong? You've been skittish and absent-minded all week," Harry finally said quietly. "It's not like you to just sit and ponder things without a book and stack of notes next to you."

She neither cracked a smile nor snorted in amusement at his characteristic description of herself. Instead, the witch winced, knowing there was no denying the simple truth in his words. She had been both those things; she just didn't think that Harry was astute enough to notice. A year ago he certainly wouldn't have guessed that something was wrong... But then again, their relationship hadn't been this intimate at the time. 

"You love me, Harry... don't you?" she said quietly as she raised her hands to place them on his arms.

"You know I love you more than life itself, Hermione," he answered, his arms tightening around her. "Why do you ask? And especially when you been cooped up here for hours looking as if someone has died?"

He felt her sigh deeply and for a moment she didn't answer; Harry wondered if she was gathering courage to say what was on her mind.

"I'm worried."

Harry frowned and waited for her to continue. When she didn't, he became quite worried himself.

"What are you worried about, love?" he asked softly and planted a kiss on top of her head.

Again she took her time to answer. Every cell in Harry's body was screaming at him to demand answers, but he bit his tongue to keep quiet. She was obviously distressed about something and him yelling at her would not make anything better.

"I'm worried about the consequences of telling you what I'm really worried about telling you."

Huh? It took a moment for Harry to figure out what that meant.

"So wait...You're worrying about my reaction to something you're worried about telling me?"

Hermione couldn't help but let out a little chuckle at his confusion. Deciding to put him out of his misery, she carefully stepped out of his arms and turned to look at him. Harry frowned; if he didn't know any better he would say that he could see panic in her eyes.

"Harry, you better sit down. I have something to tell you."

Harry's heart constricted, panic of his own suddenly flaring up inside of him. Was she leaving him? Was she sick?

"You needn't look so scared, Harry," she said softly. "It's nothing bad. Or actually, I guess that depends on how you look at the situation."

Her words did not make him less concerned, but he took a seat on the couch nevertheless.

"There's no really simple way to say this... So I'm just going to say it."

Harry merely kept looking at her, silently waiting for her to continue. She inhaled sharply in a vain attempt to calm her racing heart; it didn't work and she closed her eyes for a moment to gather strength and summon her Gryffindor courage.

"Remember that night a few weeks ago when you woke me up from the nightmare I had about the war? After you had calmed me down, you made me forget about the dream by making love to me."

Harry smiled at the memory and nodded his head; he remembered that night very well.

HP * HP * HP * HP * HP

Harry was startled awake by an ear shattering scream that made his blood turn to ice. Turning over in bed, he saw Hermione trashing about in her sleep, her body convulsing almost as if she was in pain. For a moment he was shell shocked and couldn't even move; he had never ever seen Hermione like this before and the fear he felt had him completely petrified. Another scream ripped from her lips and her distress finally made him move; he shook her gently, but firmly and loudly yelled out her name. Her eyes flew open a moment later and for a second she looked as if she had come face to face with death itself. Tears filled her eyes and Harry quickly pulled her into his embrace.

"Tell me about the dream, Hermione," he ordered her softly. "It will help, talking about it. I promise."

It took a little while for Hermione to calm down enough to be able to voice anything out loud besides the heart wrenching sobbing.

"I haven't had a dream about the war in years," she mumbled into his chest. "I could feel her blade against my throat, Harry. I could feel the curse coarse through my body as if it was really happening all over again. But Harry, you..."

Her voice cracked and a moment later he felt her inhale deeply against his chest as if to remember his scent forever.

"You came out of nowhere. You tackled her away from me and attempted to fight her with your bare hands. She still had that cursed dagger and she sunk it into your side... She looked shocked enough to back off; Lucius Malfoy was screaming in the background that the Dark Lord would be furious with her, but she let out a cackle like she didn't have a care in the world. I managed to crawl to you... You were in so much pain, you could hardly breathe. You told me not to cry, but to let you go... And you died in my arms, Harry. You _died_. And I felt like I died with you."

Harry tightened his embrace around her and shushed softly when she started crying again.

"Hermione, I'm not dead. Bellatrix, the crazy bitch, is the one who died. I'm not going anywhere; I wouldn't dare leave you behind."

He readjusted her head so that her ear rested on his chest.

"You hear that?" he wondered gently. "That's my heartbeat, love. And it's beating for you. You make my life worth living – don't ever forget that."

Hermione smiled at that and lifted her head in order to look into his beautiful green eyes.

"I love you," she said simply before she leaned forward and claimed his lips in a kiss.

"And I love you."

Hermione turned over to her other side and scooted as close to Harry as she could. As they lay spooning, Harry's hands started traveling over her body, touching her everywhere to make her believe and understand that he was still really there. He felt her tremble and she squirmed, her bum grinding against him in a delicious way that so decisive that it made him wonder if she was doing it on purpose to get him aroused.

"Make love to me, Harry. Just like this."

Her words were soft and confirmed his suspicion; he had no problem complying to her wishes. He placed a hand on her hip and held her in place against his growing erection as he carefully nibbled on her earlobe. She let out a moan and then reached for her wand on the night table, quickly muttering a charm that made their clothes end up on the floor. Harry pressed himself against her bum, loving the way he managed to position himself in between her cheeks. Hermione heard his breath hitch, causing her own heart to race. She lifted her right leg a little to grant him access and as he slid inside her tight warmth they let out simultaneous moans.

Harry stayed perfectly still for a moment, giving her a chance to get accustomed to his impressive size from this new angle. He grabbed hold of her leg so that she wouldn't tire herself out and placed a sweet kiss in the nape of her neck, waiting for her to want to continue. When she started squirming, a sure sign that she was a-okay and impatient for him to do something, he started moving in and out of her slowly with long, deep strokes.

"Oh Merlin... Harry, that feels amazing!" Hermione murmured as she started meeting his thrusts.

Her movements and her words made him impossibly more turned on; the way she responded to him was one thing he would never tire of. She turned her neck so that she could press her lips against his, the angle awkward but oh so satisfying... She loved kissing Harry more than anything else; his lips were always warm and soft and inviting... No one had ever kissed her with as much passion as Harry did.

Harry heard the change in her breathing that signaled to him that she was getting close. He quickened the pace a little and was rewarded with a small, blissful shout in return.

"So close, so close," she murmured over and over, loud enough for him to just be able to hear her.

"That's it, love, let go," Harry whispered in her ear, causing a shiver to ripple down her spine. "Come for me."

Hermione did so, calling his name as she felt her body come undone. Her muscles clamping down hard on him was enough to send Harry over the edge as well and he came deep inside if her with a strangled grunt. Neither of them moved; all that could be heard was their shallow breathing and Hermione could feel that Harry's racing heart matched her own.

Merlin's beard how she loved him. 

HP * HP * HP * HP * HP

"Tell me something, Harry," she said slowly as she sat down on the couch next to him. "Do you remember either of us casting the contraceptive charm that night? Or in the morning, for that matter?"  
Harry stared at her dumbly, looking at her as if she had been speaking gibberish. He had heard her; he just hadn't pieced her meaning together yet.

"You can't remember, because neither of us did," she said, thinking he was keeping quiet to try to remember if he had cast the charm. "Harry, I know that for a fact."

Oh. Bloody. Hell.

Suddenly Harry knew exactly what she was going to say and he knew for a fact that he wasn't ready to hear it.

"Harry... I'm pregnant."

Yep. Definitely not ready.

His first instinct was to run; run fast and run far. But that instinct was quickly suppressed by another feeling and a must stronger instinct that he couldn't ignore. He was filled with such a surge of protectiveness and love that he couldn't muster the strength or the will to flee.

Harry had been staring at her stomach for a full minute; Hermione had seen the inner turmoil he must be feeling in his eyes. A range of emotions had flashed over his face in a very short period of time and once she had noticed his first reaction, she had frozen and not moved since. The look of pure panic had Hermione's heart racing; she was waiting for him to turn on his heel and disapparate out of Grimmauld Place.

But he didn't.

Suddenly Harry met her gaze and what she saw in his eyes made her gasp. The look of panic was gone. He was now looking at her with such passion and warmth that her mind was reeling.

Harry had come to a decision. The beautiful, strong and brave woman standing in front of him was his whole life – the reason he existed, his reason for breathing. In her belly a child was growing – his child. He couldn't leave; he _would not_ leave them. What life would he have without her? Without the innocent child? It would be an empty existence, hardly worth living. He had always wanted a family – he would be a complete arse if he was to give up on the chance of having the one thing he had always wanted in life for something as stupid as fear. He was a Gryffindor for Merlin's sake! He had done many idiotic things, but he would not do this.

He would not leave his family.

Scooting forward, Harry gently cupped her cheek, slowly stroking the soft skin with his thumb.

"I love you," he murmured softly, a small smile playing on his lips.

Hermione didn't get a chance to respond before Harry got down on his knees in between her legs. Astonished, she complied when Harry grabbed her hips and scooted her down a little, so that she was half sitting, half lying on her back. He then placed both his palms on her stomach. Hermione held her breath, waiting almost in awe for what he would do next.

"And I love you," he said as he rubbed her stomach in emphasis, and then he leaned forward to place kiss in the space in between his hands.

He felt Hermione's hand stroking his hair and he looked up at her; her eyes were brimming with tears, but she was smiling.

Harry knew that they had a rough road ahead of them; a child at this point was nothing neither of them had planned for or even started thinking about. Things would change drastically, but Harry knew that they could do this together.

He was suddenly very happy that something said in the heat of the moment was now defining the rest of his life.

* THE END *

AN: Alright. I'm sure there is a lot mixed feelings right now, because I certainly have mixed feelings. I'm not sure how I feel about this ending, because it opens up for a whole new set of chapters. However, I chose to end here because I need one story to be completed and rather than writing an epilogue that takes place ten years into the future where everything is perfect and dandy, I came up with this. My first intention was to end with Hermione telling him she was pregnant. I'm quite positive that ending with that kind of cliffhanger would have been mean... And rather than continuing the story, I end here because if I continue with this storyline, there needs to be a break between screwing-around-Harry and settling-down-to-be-a-father-Harry. I am not promising a sequel. Not yet. But I won't go so far to say that one won't come either.

Thank you for reading. Hope you enjoyed it. And hopefully... På återseende!

~*~ coolalisa ~*~


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